2-NRLF 


No. ... 

Division 

Range 

Shelf... 

Received..  ^< 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


GIFT  OF 


N  [EL    C,     Gl  r.M  AN, 


a 
<s< 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


From  the  Hon.  William  S.  Ross,  Speaker  of  the  Senate  of 
Pennsylvania,  of  the  13th  Senatorial  District,  composed 
of  the  counties  of  Luzerne  and  Columbia. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  ) 

Harrisburg,  April  22d,  1846.   j 

DEAR  SIR: — I  have  carefully  perused  your  excellent  little 
work,  entitled  RULES  OF  ORDER,  and  most  cheerfully  bear 
my  testimony  to  its  general  accuracy  and  correctness.  It 
is  a  highly  useful  work  to  all  those  who  desire  to  make 
themselves  acquainted  with  the  rules  which  govern  delibe- 
rative bodies,  and,  I  trust,  will  receive  that  generous  pa- 
tronage from  the  public  which  it  so  richly  merits. 
Yours  with  respect. 

WM.  S.  Ross. 
BENJ.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  the  Hon.  Daniel  L.  Sherwood,  of  the  llth  Senatorial 
District,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Bradford  and  Tioga, 
late  Speaker  of  the  Senate  of  Pennsylvania. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  ) 

Harrisburg,  April  21st,  1846.  5 

DEAR  SIR: — I  have  the  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the  re- 
ceipt of  a  copy  of  your  excellent  little  book,  entitled  "A 
Manual  for  conducting  business  in  Town  and^Ward  Meet- 
ings, Societies,  Boards  of  Directors,"  &c.  &c. 

It  will  be  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  library  of  all  who 
partake  in  public  meetings,  deliberative  bodies,  &c. 

Accept  my  thanks  for  the  copy  sent  me,  and  believe  me 
very  respectfully,  yours,         DANIEL  L.  SHERWOOD. 
BENJ.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 

1 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  the  Hon.  J.  B.  Stengere,  of  the  3d  Senatorial  District, 

composed  of  the  county  of  Montgomery,  formerly  Speaker 

of  the  Senate. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  ) 
April  llth,  1846.  $ 

DEAR  SIR: — I  have  carefully  examined  your  Manual  for 
conducting  business  in  meetings  and  societies.  It  contains 
a  compendium  of  the  rules  and  principles  of  Parliamentary 
practice — well  and  clearly  arranged — sufficiently  extensive 
for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  designed — and  much  useful 
and  interesting  information,  but  little  known,  relating  to 
the  manner  in  which  business  is  transacted  in  our  national 
and  state  councils.  Such  a  work  is  much  needed  and  must 
prove  very  acceptable  to  persons  who  have  not  time  to 
bestow  on  larger  works  on  the  same  subject.  No  person 
who  is  in  the  habit  of  attending  public  meetings  or  societies, 
should  be  without  a  copy  of  your  Manual. 

Nothing  so  much  conduces  to  the  respectability  and 
dignity  of  a  meeting  as  a  regular,  orderly,  and  methodical 
mode  of  conducting  business.  Business  cannot  be  con- 
ducted in  this  manner  by  officers  who  are  unacquainted 
with  parliamentary  proceedings.  Such  frequently  bring  a 
meeting  into  disorder  and  confusion  and  discredit.  All 
officers  should  be  well  versed  in  such  rules,  and  it  is  almost 
equally  important  that  the  members  of  the  meeting  or  socie- 
ty, should  be  conversant  with  such  rules.  I  take  great 
pleasure  in  recommending  your  valuable  little  work  to  the 
favorable  consideration  of  the  public. 

I  am  very  truly  yours,  J.  B.  STERIGERE. 

BENJAMIN  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  Members  of  the  Senate  of  Pennsylvania. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  ) 

Harrisburg,  April  18th,  1846.   j 

We  have  examined  the  "Manual  for  conducting  business 
in  Town  and  Ward  Meetings,  Societies,  Boards  of  Man- 
agers, Directors  and  other  deliberative  bodies,"  prepared 
by  Mr.  Matthias,  and  have  great  pleasure  in  commending 
it  to  public  favor  as  a  correct  and  valuable  work. 
A.  HERR  SMITH,  THOS.  CARSON, 

GEORGE  RAHN,  W.  WILLIAMSON, 

JEFF.  K.  HECKMAN,  CHARLES  C.  SULLIVAN, 

HENRY  CHAPMAN,  GEO.  DARSIE, 

WM.  A.  CRABB,  J.  WAGENSELLER, 

JOHN  FOULKROD,  JOHN  MORRISON, 

O.  P.  CORNMAN,  JOS.  F.  QUAY, 

CHAS.  GIBBONS,  CHARLES  A.  BLACK, 

WILLIAM  BIGLER,  H.  L.  BENNER. 

W   H.  DIMM1CK,  2 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  the  Hon.  James  D.  Dunlap,  Senator  from  the  27th 
Senatorial  District,  composed  of  the  county  of  Erie. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  ) 

Harrisburg,  April  21st,  1846.  J 

DEAR  SIR:— I  have  given  an  examination  to  the  work  of 
which  you  are  the  author,  entitled  "  Rules  of  Order,"  being 
"a  Manual  for  conducting  business  in  Town  and  Ward 
Meetings,  Societies,  Boards  of  Directors,  and  Managers, 
and  other  deliberative  bodies,  based  upon  the  Rules  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature." 

I  take  much  pleasure  in  saying  that  I  believe  it  to  be  a 
work  of  great  merit — well  calculated  to  aid  any  gentleman 
who  may  be  called  upon  to  preside  over  any  deliberative 
body,  or  who  may  in  any  way  have  occasion  to  take  a 
part  in  any  public  meeting.  Such  a  work  as  this  has  long 
been  needed,  and  ought  to  be  generally  circulated,  that  we 
might  have  a  uniform  standard  of  rules  for  public  meetings, 
general  throughout  our  country;  and  the  public  will  be 
under  a  very  great  obligation  to  you  for  preparing  the  work 
for  their  benefit. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  D.  DUNLAP. 
BENJAMIN  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  the  Hon.  John  P.  Sanderson,  of  the  7th  Senatorial 

District,   composed  of  the  counties  of  Lancaster  and 

Lebanon. 

SENATE  CHAMBER.  ) 

Harrisburg,  April  18th,  1846.   ] 

DEAR  SIR  : — I  have  examined  your  work,  entitled  "  RULES 
OF  ORDER,"  and  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending  it  to 
the  public,  as  a  most  valuable  and  useful  guide  to  those 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  attending  public  meetings,  and  are 
desirous  of  taking  an  active  and  efficient  part  in  their  pro- 
ceedings. It  is  in  truth  what  it  professes  to  be — "  A  Manual 
for  conducting  business  in  Town  and  Ward  Meetings,  So- 
cieties, Boards  of  Directors  and  Managers,  and  other  De- 
liberative Bodies."  A  work  of  the  kind  has  long  been 
needed,  and,  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  receive  that  liberal  pa- 
tronage from  the  public  which  its  merits  and  usefulness 
deserve. 

J.  P.  SANDERSON. 

BENJAMIN  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 

3 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  the  Clerk  and  Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Senate  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  \ 

Harrisburg,  April  6th,  1846.   j 

I  have  examined  a  "  Manual  for  conducting  business  in 
Town  and  Ward  Meetings,  Societies,"  &c.,  prepared  by 
Mr.  Matthias,  and  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending  it 
as  a  correct,  useful,  and  valuable  work. 

E.  S.  GOODRICH,  Clerk  of  Senate. 
I  fully  concur  in  the  above  opinion. 

J.  ZIEGLER,  Assist.  Clerk  of  Senate. 


From  the  Hon.  Findley  Patterson,  of  Armstrong  County, 
Speaker  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Representatives. 
HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,   > 
Harrisburg,  April  4th,  1846.  ) 

DEAR  SIR:— I  have  carefully  examined  your  Manual  for 
conducting  business  in  deliberative  bodies — and  do  not  hesi- 
tate in  pronouncing  it  an  excellent  little  work— just  such  as 
is  called  for  in  every  community ;  and  every  person  who  is 
in  the  habit  of  participating  in  the  proceedings  of  public 
meetings  or  societies,  should  avail  himself  of  the  first  oppor- 
tunity to  procure  a  copy  of  those  excellent  rules,  which 


have  been  so  well  compiled.    Yours  truly, 

.s,  Esq.  FINDLEY  PATTERSON. 


B.  MATTHIAS, 


From  Members  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Representa- 
tives. 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,         ) 
Harrisburg,  March  28th,  1846.  j 

This  plain  and  familiar  treatise  on  the  rules  of  order  and 
the  proper  mode  of  conducting  business  in  deliberative  as- 
semblies, will  be  found  highly  useful  to  those  who  may  be 
called  upon  to  preside  over,  or  to  participate  in  the  pro- 
ceedings of  public  meetings  and  other  organised  bodies. 

The  Manuals  of  Jefferson  and  Sutherland  relate  mainly 
to  Legislative  practice ;— a  work  like  the  present  is  much 
wanted,  which  will  apply  to  meetings  on  public  affairs, 
societies,  boards  of  managers,  and  all  deliberative  associa- 
tions. 

The  rules  laid  down  in  it  are  in  accordance  with  approved 
and  established  parliamentary  practice  ;  the  arrangement  is 
judicious,  and  the  whole  is  presented  and  explained  in  so 
clear  and  perspicuous  a  manner  as  to  be  easily  understood 
by  those  for  whose  use  it  is  intended. 
CHA8.  B.  TREGO,  J.  G.  SHUMAN, 

THOS.  NICHOLSON,  GEORGE  R.  HAYMAKER, 

4 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


RICH.  DONALDSON, 
GEORGE  BACH  MAN, 
PETER  SNYDKR, 
JAMES  STARR, 
WM.  MERRIF1ELD, 
ROBERT  JAMES. 
JOHN  M.  PUMROY, 
THOS.  G.  CONNOR, 
JOHN  R.  EDIE, 
JOHN  LARK1N,  Jr., 
M.  DAN  MAGEHAN, 
ED.  Y.  BRIGHT, 
DANIEL  RIDER, 
R.  T.  GALLOWAY, 
BENJAMIN  HILL, 
DAVVSON  WADS  WORTH, 
T.  J.  BIG  HAM. 
DANL.  McCURDY, 

ROBERT  MCCLELLAND, 
H.  L.  PATTERSON, 
L.  ROBINSON. 
MICHAEL  WORM  AN, 
JAMESTAGGART, 

A.  M.  HILL, 

JNO.  STEWART, 

WM.  M.  ARMSTRONG, 

BENJ.  BARTHOLOMEW, 

GEORGE  BOYER, 

H.  G.  STETLER, 

WM.  W.  HALY, 

A.  H  VAN  HOFF, 
HENRY  DOTTS, 
GEORGE  LADLEY, 
JESSE  SAMUELS, 
REUBEN  STROUSS, 
ROBERT  BARBER. 
JAS.  V.  BOUGHNER, 
THOMAS  C.  STEEL, 
JOSEPH  GRAY, 
G.  S.  MURPHY, 

J.  H.  McCRUM, 


M.  KELLER. 
JNO.  C.  KUNKEL, 
JOHN  McFARLAND, 
J.  M.  MEANS, 
THOS.  *.  FERNON, 
B.  T.  HAL  LOW  ELL, 
P.  D.  THOMAS, 
JOSEPH  ENEU, 
G.  MORRISON, 
THOMAS  POMEROY, 
JACOB  McCURLEY, 
A.  H1LANDS, 
JAS.  CLARKE, 
JOHN  RUPERT, 
JOHN  L.  WEBB, 
SCH  U  YLER  FASSITT, 
D.THOMAS, 
H.  M.  BRACKENRIDGE. 
F.  W.  WEEST, 
V.  E.  PIOLLET, 
CHARLES  LEVAN, 
GEO.  CHESNUT, 
JOHN  KLINE, 
ALEXANDER  POWER, 
ALEX.  GWIN. 
JOHN  BASSLER, 
CHRIS.  BENTZ, 
JOHN  C.  KNOX, 
JAMES  BURNS,  Jr., 
E.  OWEN, 
JOHN  BROUGH, 
THOMAS  B.  JACOBS, 
JAS.  BURNSIDE, 
J.  M.  BURRELL, 
THOS.  H.  FORSYTH, 
THOS.  A.  FUNSTON, 
A.  A.  STEWART, 
WILLIAM  PRICE, 
WM.  Me  A  BEE, 
JOSEPH  CROSS. 


From  Theo.  D.  Cochran,  Esq.,  Member  of  the  House  of  Re- 
presentatives, from  Lancaster  county. 

Harrisburg,  April  2d,  1846. 

DEAR  SIR:— I  have  examined,  with  much  pleasure,  your 
little  work — '•  Rules  of  Order" — and  think  that  it  is  most  ad- 
mirable in  conception  and  design.  Something  of  this  sort 

i*  5 


R  ECOMMENDAT10NS. 

has  long  been  needed,  and  I  am  really  glad  that  you  have 
published  this  volume.  It  is  a  plain  statement  of  rules  ne- 
cessary to  regulate  the  proceedings  of  deliberative  bodies, 
town  meetings,  societies,  &c.,  and  is  written  in  a  familiar 
style,  so  that  it  can  readily  be  understood  by  all.  The  work 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  the  leading  citizens  of  every  town 
and  village  in  the  land.  Sincerely,  your  friend, 
B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq.  THEO.  D.  COCHRAN. 


From  J.  B.  Johnson,  Esq.,  Member  of  the  House  of  Repre. 
sentatives,  from  Erie  County. 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,         ) 
Harrisburg,  April  3d,  1846.   J 

DEAR  SIR: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  a  copy  of  your  Manual  or  Treatise,  on  Rules  of  Order 
for  the  regulation  and  government  of  deliberative  assem- 
blies, for  which  you  will  please  accept  my  unfeigned 
thanks.  I  have  examined  the  work  with  considerable  at- 
tentiprt  and  care,  and  unhesitatingly  pronounce  it,  in  my 
opinion,  one  of  much  merit.  It  is  concise  and  perspicuous, 
and  in  every  respect,  accorvding  to  my  judgment,  admirably 
adapted  to  ihe  purposes  for  which  it  is  designed.  It  will 
certainly  prove  an  invaluable  acquisition  to  Boards  of 
Council  and  Aldermen  of  incorporated  towns;  to  literary 
and  other  associations — especially  those  connected  with 
Colleges  and  Academies,  as  well  as  to  persons  of  various 
other  business  relations. 

Please  accept  assurances  of  my  sincere  regard,  and  be 
lieve  me  yours,  and  respectfully,  J.  B.  JOftNSON. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  the  Clerk  and  Assistant  Clerk  of  the  Pennsylvania 
House  of  Representatives. 

HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,         ) 
Harrisburg,  April  1st,  1846.  } 

We  have  carefully  examined  the  "  Manual  for  conduct- 
ing business  in  Town  and  Ward  Meetings,  Societies, 
Boards  of  Directors,  and  other  deliberative  bodies,"  pre- 
pared by  Mr.  Matthias,  and  have  no  hesitation  in  pro- 
nouncing it  an  admirable  work.  It  is  plain,  concise,  and 
altogether  correct  in  its  details,  and  cannot  fail  to  prove  of 
great  service  in  properly  directing  the  business  of  meetings. 

WM  JACK,  Clerk, 

THOS.  J.  GROSS,  Assist.  Clerk. 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  the  Hon.  Joel  B.  Sutherland,  late  member  of  Congress, 
and  author  of  the  Congressional  and  Legislative  Manuals. 

Philada.,  May  26th,  1846. 

DEAR  SIR:— I  have  carefully  perused  your  "Manual  for 
conducting  business  in  town  and  warcl  meetings,  &c."  and 
take  great  pleasure  in  saying  that  it  is  a  most  excellent  work, 
and  is  well  calculated  to  instruct  presiding  officers  in  our 
popular  and  other  meetings  to  execute  the  duties  of  the 
chair  with  ability  and  despatch. 

With  great  respect,  I  remain 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  B.  SUTHERLAND 
B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  Col.  James  Page,  formerly  Postmaster  of  Philadelphia. 

Philada.,  May  27th,  1846. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — I  have  given  your  "Rules  of  Order"  a 
careful  perusal.  The  work  is  much  needed,  and  will  be 
found  very  useful  to  all  classes  of  our  fellow  citizens,  for 
the  whole  American  people  may  be  regarded  as  a  combina- 
tion of  deliberative  bodies.  No  one  of  them  should  be  with- 
out the  knowledge  you  are  aiming  to  impart,  conveyed  as  it 
is  in  simple  and  appropriate  language,  and  condensed  form. 
Already  I  have  found  the  book  a  valuable  assistant,  and 
thank  you  sincerely  for  your  kindness  in  sending  me  a  copy. 
Very  truly  your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

JAMES  PAGE. 
B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  the  Hon.  Richard  Vaux,  Recorder  of  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

Philada.,  May  23d,  1846. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :— Permit  me  to  thank  you  for  a  copy  of  your 
"Rules  of  Order  for  Deliberative  Assemblies,"  which  I  have 
lead  with  interest  and  satisfaction. 

It  was  the  remark  of  an  author  of  distinction,  that  it  was 
good  to  know,  but  better  to  know  where  to  find,  information 
on  those  subjects  not  within  the  range  of  general  knowledge. 
Your  work  is  calculated  to  afford  to  those  who  seek,  such 
information  on  the  subjects  on  which  it  treats,  and  of  which 
but  few  are  in  possession. 

Our  people  are  more  remarkable  than  any  other,  for  asso- 
ciations and  meetings  of  all  kinds,  calculated  and  originated 
to  promote  advancement  and  improvement  in  matters  of 

7 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

religion,  benevolence,  literature  and  politics.  These  asso- 
ciations are  the  machinery  of  public  opinion,  of  which  the 
motive  power  is  an  enlightened,  independent  public  press. 

Those  of  our  citizens,  therefore,  who  interest  themselves 
in  any  or  either  of  these  subjects,  and  who  desire  that  the 
action  of  these  associations  shonld  be  regulated,  directed 
and  harmonised,  will  find  a  guide  in  the  work  you  have 
compiled. 

If  I  may  be  allowed  to  make  a  suggestion,  it  is  that  your 
book  should  be  introduced  into  schools  and  colleges,  as  cal- 
culated to  be  of  real  benefit. 

I  am,  ever  respectfully,  yours, 

RICHARD  VAUX. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  the  Hon.  James  Ross  Snowden,  State  Treasurer,  for- 
merly Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Harrisburg,  March  28ih,  1846. 

DEAR  SIR :— I  have  received  your  letter,  and  a  copy  of  "  A 
Manual  for  conducting  business  in  Town  and  Ward  Meet- 
ings, Societies,  Boards  of  Directors  and  Managers,  and  other 
deliberative  bodies."  I  have  examined  it  carefully,  and  am 
fully  satisfied  that  it  will  be  eminently  useful  for  the  pur- 
poses intended.  Rules  of  order  are  of  the  first  importance 
in  deliberative  assemblies ;  and  the  despatch  of  business, 
the  avoidance  of  confusion  and  personal  altercations,  are 
dependant  upon  their  prompt  enforcement. 

The  general  circulation  of  this  excellent  and  concise  man- 
ual will  place  it  in  the  power  of  our  citizens  generally,  to 
become  acquainted  with  the  elementary  principles  of  order, 
and  thus  enable  them  to  participate  advantageously  in  the 
various  meetings,  which  are  incident  to  our  republican  in- 
stitutions and  the  regulations  of  society. 

Very  truly,  yours,  &c. 

JAMES  SNOWDEN. 
B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq., 

Member  of  the  Legislature. 


From  the  Rev.  Robert  Emory,  A,  M.,  President  of  Dickin- 
son College,  Carlisle,  Pa. 

DICKINSON  COLLEGE,  ) 
April  9th,  1846.  $ 

MT  DEAR  SIR:— I  did  not  receive  your  "  Rules  of  Order," 
until  my  return  from  Philadelphia  last  night. 

I  lake  the  earliest  opportunity  after  examining  it,  (which 
I  have  done  pretty  carefully  to-day,)  to  express  to  you  my 

8 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

gratification  at  the  intended  publication  of  such  a  Manual: 
It  is  greatly  needed,  especially  for  the  use  of  those  bodies, 
religious  and  secular,  to  whose  proceedings  the  larger  and 
more  complicated  manuals  are  not  adapted.  I  am  sure  that 
your  little  work  will  be  of  much  service  at  the  meetings  of 
our  Conferences,  and  I  shall  desire  to  see  it  extensively 
circulated  among  our  preachers. 

Very  truly  yours,  ROBT.  EMORY. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 


From  the  Rev.  John  McClintock,  Jr.,  A.  M.,  Professor  of 

Languages  in  Dickinson  College. 

Carlisle,  6th  April,  1846. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — I  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  yours  of  the 
3d  inst.,  with  a  copy  of  your  "  Rules  of  Order,"  for  which 
please  accept  my  thanks.  I  have  gone  through  it  with  some 
care,  and  find  it  every  thing  that  I  could  wish : — although,  in- 
deed, I  am  so  unskilled  in  such  matters,  that  neither  my 
praise  nor  blame  can  be  of  much  importance.  I  have  long 
felt  the  need  of  such  a  concise  guide  book,  and  think  yon 
have  hit  the  nail  precisely  on  the  head.  The  book  cannot 
fail  to  have  a  large  circulation  :  certainly  I  shall  do  all  that 
I  can  to  diffuse  it. 

Please  accept  my  best  wishes  in  all  respects,  and  believe 
me,  Yours  truly,  JNO.  McCLINTOCK,  Jr. 


From  the  Hon.  James  Cooper,  late  Member  of  Congress, 

from  Adams  County. 

Gettysburg,  April  llth,  1846. 

MY  DEAR  SIR:— I  have  read  your  Manual  of  Rules  for 
conducting  the  business  of  Town  Meetings,  Societies,  and 
deliberative  bodies,  with  attention.  Regularity,  uniformity 
and  order>  in  the  transaction  of  the  business  of  such  assem- 
blies, are  objects  of  much  importance  ;  and  in  my  judgment, 
the  publication  of  your  work  will  contribute  materially  to 
promote  them. 

The  perspicuous  style  of  the  work,  the  adaptation  of  its 
rules  to  their  several  objects,  all  add  to  its  value;  and  the 
legislator,  no  less  than  the  citizen,  who  is  in  the  habit  of 
taking  part  in  the  business  of  public  meetings,  will  find  it 
instructive  and  useful.  I  consider  it  a  work  of  much 
merit.  Its  rules  are  plain  and  simple,  while  at  the  same 
time  they  are  strictly  conformable  to  the  principles  of  par- 
liamentary law.  Accept  my  thanks  for  the  copy  you  have 
done  me  the  honor  to  send  me. 

Respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

JAMES  COOPER. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq. 

9 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  the  Hon.  Ellis  Lewis,  President  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas  of  Lancaster  county. 

Lancaster,  April  13th,  1846. 

MT  DEAR  SIR  :— I  thank  you  for  your  favor  of  the  8th  inst., 
and  for  your  ''  Rules  of  Order"  in  town  meetings,  &c.  I 
have  examined  the  work,  and  think  it  well  calculated  to 
meet  the  purpose  intended.  Under  a  government  founded 
upon  and  controlled  by  the  public  voice,  such  a  work  is  pe- 
culiarly important  and  useful  to  the  citizens.  Every  man 
has  a  part  to  perform  in  the  public  affairs.  Every  question 
of  importance  comes  before  the  people  in  their  deliberative 
assemblies.  Our  whole  nation  is  a  nation  of  orators,  states- 
men and  legislators ;  and,  whether  we  be  called  to  attend  to 
the  business  of  the  township — the  ward — the  city — the  county 
— the  state  or  the  church,  a  knowledge  of  parliamentary  rules 
is  of  infinite  importance  in  securing  the  expeditious  and  or- 
derly transaction  of  business.  Your  fellow  citizens  are 
therefore  greatly  indebted  to  you  for  placing  the  necessary 
knowledge  on  this  subject  in  such  a  form,  and  at  such  a 
price  as  to  be  convenient  and  accessible  to  every  man.  No 
one  should  be  without  your  valuable  Manual. 
Yours  truly, 

ELLIS  LEWIS. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq., 
Member  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


From  the  Hon.  John  Swift,  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 
Philada.,  May  20th,  1846. 

DEAR  SIR  : — I  have'read,  and  with  pleasure  too,  your  "  Man- 
ual for  conducting  business  in  Town  and  Ward  Meetings,  So- 
cieties, Boards  of  Directors  and  Managers,  and  other  delib- 
erative bodies.'5  In  a  country  like  ours,  where  the  people  so 
frequently  meet  together  in  town  and  township  meetings,  to 
interchange  views  and  to  express  opinions  in  relation  to 
matters  alike  interesting  lo  themselves  and  the  country  at 
large,  rules  for  conducting  their  proceedings  are  essentially 
necessary.  Your  Manual,  so  admirably  abridged,  yet  con- 
taining every  thing  requisite,  will  be  found  so  useful,  that  I 
feel  satisfied,  that  it  will  not  be  long  ere  it  will  become  a 
vade  mecum  for  politicians,  and  be  adapted  to  corporate 
bodies  and  societies  generally.  That  you  deserve  the 
thanks  of  your  fellow  citizens  for  the  book  is  most  certain, 
and  that  you  will  receive  them  I  cannot  doubt. 

Very  respectfully  your  friend  and  obed't  serv't, 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq.  JOHN  SWIFT. 

10 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

From  Wm.  M.  Meredith,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Select 

Council. 

Philada.,  May  29th,  1846. 

DEAR  SIR: — I  have  examined  your  "  Rules  of  Order"  with 
much  pleasure,  and  think  the  volume  will  be  useful  as  a 
manual.  Very  truly  your  obed't  serv't, 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq.  WM.  M.  MEREDITH. 

From  Saml.  Norris,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Common  Council. 
Philada.,  May  29th,  1846. 

DEAR  SIR  : — I  have  carefully  looked  over  your  little  work, 
entitled  "  Rules  of  Order,'5  and  to  the  numerous  testimonials 
in  its  favor,  cheerfully  add  mine.  It  will  be  found  very  use- 
ful to  all  those  who  participate  in  the  proceedings  of  delib- 
erative bodies.  Very  respectfully,  yours,  &c. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq.  SAML.  NORRIS. 

From  Henry  Helmuth,  Esq.,  Clerk  of  the  Select  Council. 
Philada.,  May  27th,  1846. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  : — I  have  received  your  book,  entitled <{  Rules 
of  Order,"  and  read  it  with  much  satisfaction.  The  want  of 
such  a  work  has  been  long  felt  in  our  community,  and  a 
familiar  acquaintance  with  its  contents  would  do  much  to 
economize  time,  prevent  irreconcileable  dissensions,  and 
greatly  assist  in  arriving  at  correct  conclusions, 
I  am,  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours. 

B.  MATTHIAS,  Esq,  HENRY  HELMUTH. 

RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

It  is  recommended  in  the  warmest  manner  by  the  Speakers 
of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  by  a  number  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature. A  more  useful  publication  has  not  been  issued  for 
a  long  time.  We  commend  it  in  the  most  cordial  manner. 
— Inquirer. 

The  obvious  utility  of  this  work  will  guarantee  its  exten- 
sive circulation. —  The  Sun. 

Will  be  found  most  useful  to  politicians  and  citizens  gene- 
rally, on  account  of  its  simplified  parliamentary  directions. 
— Pennsylvanian. 

This  work  has  been  carefully  edited,  and  contains  pre- 
cedents from  the  Manuals  of  Jefferson,  Gushing.  Sutherland 
and  others,  and  is  of  great  value  to  all  who  desire  to  take 
part  in  public  assemblies  of  every  kind.— Spirit  of  the 
Times 

11 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 

This  is  a  very  useful  work,  and  should  be  in  the  hands  of 
every  man  who  wishes  to  qualify  himself  for  any  of  the 
duties  enumerated  in  the  title,  that  he  may  at  times  be 
called  upon  to  perform.— Chronicle. 

This  modest  volume,  contains  a  full  fruit  of  observation  and 
experience,  and  is  what  it  purports  to  be,  a  manual  for  those 
who  desire  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  details  of  legis- 
lative or  deliberative  business.  The  compiler,  Benj.  Matthias, 
Esq.,  a  member  of  our  Legislature,  has  performed  his  task 
with  great  simplicity  and  comprehensiveness  of  manner,  and 
by  his  perfect  knowledge  of  his  subject,  has  been  enabled 
to  condense  into  brief  space,  what  others,  less  informed, 
would  have  filled  a  bulky  volume  with. 

The  arrangement  is  clear  and  exact,  the  reference  to  any 
particular  portion  easy,  and  the  citations  of  examples  to 
illustrate  obscure  or  unusual  modes  of  proceeding,  apposite 
and  luminous.  As  there  are  but  few  persons  who  are  not 
at  some  period  or  other,  called  to  preside  over  deliberative 
bodies  of  some  kind  or  other,  so  it  will  be  well  to  have  at 
hand  a  means  of  satisfying  doubts  in  legislative  practice, 
such  as  Mr.  Matthias's  Manual  affords.—  U.  S.  Gazette. 


Would  recommend  its  careful  perusal  and  study  to  those 
who  may  be  called  to  preside  over  deliberative  bodies. — 
Native  Eagle. 

It  is  really  a  very  useful  book,  and  should  be  in  the  pos- 
session of  every  member  of  a  corporation  throughout  the 
State,  and,  indeed,  every  member  of  a  deliberate  body 
should  study  its  pages. — Democratic  Union. 


It  is  based  on  the  rules  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature, 
and  is  certainly  a  most  valuable  and  useful  work.  Mr.  Mat- 
thias is  entitled  to  much  credit,  for  giving  us  a  book  so  much 
needed,  arid  in  a  cheap  and  compact  form.—Harrisburg 
Reporter. 

We  should  think  such  a  work  would  be  very  useful,  and 
the  necessity  of  the  knowledge  it  contains,  ensure  a  ready 
and  extensive  sale. — Harrisburg  Argus. 


It  is  arranged  under  different  heads,  is  brief  and  compre- 
hensive, and  cannot  fail  to  prove  eminently  useful  to  the 
public.  Any  person  of  ordinary  intelligence,  with  a  copy 
of  this  work  at  hand,  may  make  himself  competent  to  take 
part  in  or  preside  over  a  deliberative  body,  and  determine 
questions  of  order  with  ease  and  precision. — Pennsylvania 
Intelligencer. 

12 


RULES   OF   ORDER. 


RULES  OF  ORDER. 


A   MANUAL 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS 


TOWN  AND  WARD  MEETINGS,  SOCIETIES,  BOARDS 

OF  DIRECTORS  AND  MANAGERS,  AND 

OTHER  DELIBERATIVE  BODIES. 


BASED  ON  PARLIAMENTARY,  CONGRESSIONAL  AND  LEGISLATIVE 
PRACTICE. 


It  It  much  more  material  that  tnere  should  be  a  rule  to  go  by,  than  what 
that  rule  is;  that  there  may  be  a  uniformity  of  proceeding  in  business,  not 
•ubject  to  the  caprice  of  the  speaker,  or  captiousness  of  the  members  — HatsdL 


BY  BENJAMIN  MATTHIAS,  A.  M. 


FIFTH     EDITION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

LINDSAY   AND   BLAKISTON. 

1851. 


[Entered  according  to  an  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year 
1846,  by  BENJAMIN  MATTHIAS,  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of 
the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  and  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania.] 


Stereotyped  by 

8.  DOUGLAS  WYETH, 

No.  7  Pear  St.,  rtnladeJj.hia. 


PREFACE. 

THE  compiler's  motive  in  presenting  this  little 
work  to  the  public,  is  a  firm  conviction  that  it  will 
be  found  extensively  useful,  especially  to  those  who 
have  not  leisure  to  peruse  and  study  more  elaborate 
publications  on  the  subject.  He  begs  to  say  that 
he  has  strenuously  aimed  at  simplicity  of  style,  and 
clearness  of  arrangement,  so  that  every  point  laid 
down  in  theory,  may  be  easily  comprehended,  and 
as  readily  applied  in  practice. 

The  compiler  is  indebted,  for  authorities,  to  Jeffer- 
son's Manual,  Cushing's  Manual,  the  Congressional 
and  Legislative  Manuals,  by  Mr.  Sutherland,  and 
the  British  authors  quoted  in  those  works. 

As  all  these  works,  however,  are  only  applicable, 
in  general,  to  Legislative,  bodies,  being  too  diffuse 
and  complicated  for  the  use  of  Societies,  Boards  of 
Managers,  &c.,  it  is  believed  that  the  present  work 
will  be  found  eminently  serviceable  to  the  public, 
without  at  all  underrating  the  merits,  or  trespassing 
upon  the  claims,  of  other  and  more  extended  pub- 
lications. 


iii 


CONTENTS. 

Q~TFoR  INDEX,  SEE  PAGE  123. 


Preface,  -  .  .  .  ."  3 

Introductory,  -  -  -  -  .7 

Mode  of  Conducting  Business  in  a  Town  or 

Ward  Meeting,  -  -  ..,'"•.*''  "'.--!;  H 

Religious  Public  Meetings,  -  -  24 

County  Conventions,  -  *  ~  *.  26 
Mode  of  Conducting  Business  in  a  Society, 

Board  of  Managers,  &c.,  • "  *  '•  -  28 

Adjourned  and  Special  Meetings,  46 

Of  the  President,  -  .  .  -  47 

Of  the  Secretary,  -  -  -  51 

Of  the  Treasurer,  .  .  .  -  55 

Of  Committees,  -  .  .  .  58 

Reports  of  Committees,  -  -  -  62 

Of  a  Committee  of  the  Whole,  -  -  65 

Of  Privileged  Questions,  .  .  -  69 

Of  Adjournment,  72 

Of  the  Motion  to  lie  on  the  Table,  -  76 

Of  the  Motion  to  Commit,  .  .  77 

Of  Amendments,  -  .  .  -  78 

Of  Debate,  ...  87 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Pag« 

Of  Questions  not  Debatable,          -             -  92 

Dividing-  a  Question,  -             -             -  93 

Of  the  Previous  Question,              .             .  95 

Of  Postponement,       .        >  '.-  f  -98 

Of  the  Motion  to  Reconsider,  99 

Of  the  Motions  to  Rescind  and  Expunge,  -     102 

Of  Appeals,           ....  103 

Of  Minorities,             ...  105 

Of  Motions,            .             .             .  106 

Of  Questions  of  Order,           -             -  -     110 

Of  a  Quorum,        -            .            .             .  Ill 

Of  the  Yeas  and  Nays,           .             -  -     112 

Of  Elections  for  Officers,  -             .             .  114 

On  the  Adoption  of  Rules,  or  By-laws,  -     116 

On  Punishing  Disorderly  Members,           -  117 

Peculiarities  of  Parliamentary  Legislation,  -     119 

Peculiarities  of  French  Legislation,           -  121 


RULES  OF  ORDER. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

LIKE  the  common  law  of  this  country, 
which  is  based  on  that  of  England,  the  Rules 
of  Order  in  our  deliberative  assemblies,  are 
rnainly  derived  from  those  of  the  mother 
country.  Our  national  Congress,  (with  many 
modifications,  however,)  have  adopted  all 
the  rules  for  conducting  business  in  Par- 
liament, applicable  to  our  republican  in- 
stitutions and  form  of  government,  and,  in 
the  absence  of  any  special  laws  of  order, 
those  laid  down  in  Jefferson's  Manual, 
which  are  a  digest  of  those  of  the  British 
Legislature,  are  considered  good  authority. 
Our  State  Legislatures  copy,  in  general,  the 
principal  rules  of  order  adopted  in  Congress. 
The  States,  however,  differ,  very  essentially, 
in  many  particulars,  although  in  all,  the  rules 
of  the  two  houses  of  Congress  may  be  con- 

7 


8  INTRODUCTORY. 

sidered  as  the  basis  of  their  several  forms  of 
proceeding. 

For  Societies,  Boards  of  Managers,  Town 
Meetings,  and  the  business  meetings  of  local 
institutions  in  general,  no  fixed  rules  have 
ever  been  prepared  and  laid  down  in  this 
country,  and  hence  a  great  want  of  uniform- 
ity in  the  arrangement  and  mode  of  con- 
ducting the  details  of  business,  is  apparent 
among  us.  Presiding  officers,  with  some 
knowledge  of  legislative  rules,  find  no  dif- 
ficulty in  managing  a  meeting,  because  they 
bring  this  knowledge  to  bear ;  but  those  de- 
ficient in  this  particular,  labor  under  great 
difficulty,  and  are  constantly  liable  to  serious 
embarrassment,  especially  should  there  be 
any  among  those  over  whom  they  preside, 
disposed  to  be  troublesome  or  captious. 

The  mode  of  conducting  a  business  meet- 
ing for  a  Society,  and  the  rules  necessary  for 
its  government,  are,  in  themselves,  entirely 
simple  and  easily  comprehended;  but  as 
they  are  not  clearly  expressed  in  any  Legis- 
lative Manual,  some  study  is  necessary  be- 
fore they  can  be  properly  understood,  and 
promptly  and  efficiently  applied.  And 


INTRODUCTORY.  9 

while  it  is  scarcely  possible  that  any  indi- 
vidual, possessing  ordinary  experience  and 
good  common  sense,  will  be  at  a  loss  in  sat- 
isfactorily directing  the  business  of  a  meet- 
ing, yet,  it  is  evident,  that  with  some  know- 
ledge of  the  legislative  mode  of  propound- 
ing and  deciding  questions  of  order,  greater 
facility  will  be  possessed  by  the  Chairman, 
and  a  degree  of  regularity,  propriety  and 
dignity,  given  to  the  doings  of  a  meeting,  not 
to  be  hoped  for  under  less  favorable  circum- 
stances. 

Uniformity  of  proceeding  can  never  be 
obtained  while  every  presiding  officer  is  al- 
lowed to  decide  questions  of  order  according 
to  his  own  will,  or  on  the  mere  ground  of 
temporary  expediency.  Invariably  the  ob- 
ject of  a  meeting  is,  or  should  be,  to  obtain 
a  free,  full  and  unbiassed  expression  of 
opinion;  and  to  secure  this,  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  both  officers  and  members, 
majorities  and  minorities,  must  be  properly 
guarded.  Rules  of  order  have  been  found 
necessary  to  promote  these  ends,  and  hence 
their  adoption  in  all  deliberative  assemblies. 
Without  such  rules,  the  influence  of  a  pre- 


10  INTRODUCTORY. 

siding  officer,  which  is  very  great,  or  the 
pertinacity  of  a  popular  member  or  mem- 
bers, in  advocating  a  favorite  scheme,  might 
wholly  frustrate  the  real  object  of  a  meet- 
ing, and  render  its  proceedings  altogether 
nugatory.  Fixed  fundamental  rules  are 
therefore  essentially  necessary,  as  well  to 
carry  out  the  true  purposes  of  a  meeting,  as 
to  protect  the  rights  of  every  member. 

The  deficiency  heretofore  felt  in  this  par- 
ticular, it  is  now,  with  much  diffidence,  pro- 
posed to  supply  in  this  publication.  The 
rules  for  conducting  business  here  laid  down, 
are  based  upon  those  in  use  in  legisla- 
tive bodies,  with  such  suggestions,  modifi- 
cations and  alterations,  as  appear  to  be  neces- 
sary to  make  them  applicable  to  the  pur- 
poses intended.  The  leading  objects  are — 
to  relieve  presiding  officers  from  embarrass- 
ment, to  give  greater  facility  in  the  transac- 
tion of  business,  to  economize  time,  and  to 
produce  uniformity  and  impartiality  in  the 
government  of  societies  and  meetings — and 
if  these  should  be  in  any  degree  promoted, 
the  design  of  this  work  will  be  fully  accom- 
plished. 


TOWN   AND    WARD    MEETINGS.  11 


MODE  OF  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A 
TOWN  OR  WARD  MEETING. 

The  usage  is  now  well  established  that 
no  anonymous  call  for  a  Town  or  Ward 
meeting,  is  entitled  to  any  attention  what- 
ever, from  discreet  and  sober-minded  citi- 
zens. Every  call  should  have  one  or  more 
signatures,  or  the  endorsement  of  some  com- 
mittee, in  order  that  the  public  may  know 
something  of  the  source  whence  the  call 
emanates.  The  call  should  also  state,  in 
brief  but  explicit  terms,  the  object  of  the 
meeting.  Vagueness  in  this  matter  some- 
times leads  to  serious  difficulty.  A  call  for 
a  meeting  of  citizens  "  on  the  Oregon  Ques- 
tion," would  give  any  one,  whether  in  favor 
or  otherwise  of  possessing  Oregon,  the  right 
to  be  present,  although  the  authors  of  the 
call  might  have  intended  it  to  embrace  those 
only  in  favor  of  claiming  the  whole  of  that 
territory.  So  also,  with  a  call  for  a  meeting 
"  to  consider  the  expediency  of  abolishing 
the  Death  Penalty,"  which  phraseology 
opens  the  door  to  those  who  sustain  capital 
3 


12  TOWN    AND   WARD    MEETINGS. 

punishment,  as  well  as  to  those  who  op- 
pose it.  The  words  "  friendly  to,"  or 
"  opposed  to,"  are  generally  sufficient  to 
render  the  whole  matter  clearly  understood. 
Very  many  meetings  in  this  city  have  been 
rendered  entirely  abortive,  and  many  con- 
verted into  scenes  of  confusion  and  disorder, 
from  the  want  of  proper  attention  to  these 
particulars. 

1.  At  the  appointed  hour,  one  of  the  gen- 
tlemen whose  name  appears  on  the  call  of 
the  meeting,  should  open  the  business,  by 
nominating  a  Chairman,  as  follows :  — 
"  Gentlemen,  as  the  hour  designated  for 
this  meeting  has  arrived,  I  propose  that  we 
proceed  to  organize,  and  beg  leave  to  nomi- 
nate Mr.  ,  as  Chairman."  This  mo- 
tion, being  seconded,  he  will  immediately 
proceed  : — "  It  is  moved  and  seconded  that 

Mr.  •  take   the   chair — gentlemen   in 

favor  of  that  motion  will  please  to  say  l  aye'  " 
— and,  (after  a  short  pause,)  c<  those  of  the 
contrary  opinion  will  please  to  say  <  no.'  " 
If  the  ayes  are  a  majority,  he  will  add,  "  the 

motion  is  agreed  to — Mr. will  please 

lake  the  chair." 


TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS.  13 

2.  The  Chairman  thus  chosen  will  imme- 
diately proceed  to  the  stand,  and  say : — 
"  The  meeting  will  please  come  to  order — 
will  the  meeting  nominate  a  Secretary  ?" 
Some  other  individual,  who  has  also  been  f. 
prominent  in  calling  the  meeting,  will  then 
nominate  a  Secretary  or  Secretaries,  as  the 
case  may  be,  and  upon  these  nominations 
the  Chairman  will  put  the  question  as  fol- 
lows : — "  Gentlemen,  you  have  heard  the 
nominations  just  made — shall  these  gentle- 
men be  your  Secretaries  ?  As  many  as  are 
in  favor,  say  '  aye,'  —  contrary  opinion, 
'  no.'  "  If  the  ayes  prevail,  as  is  almost  al- 
ways the  case,  he  will  declare  the  gentlemen 
to  be  chosen,  and  invite  them  to  take  their 
seats  at  the  desk.  In  case  Vice  Presidents 
are  appointed,  they  should  be  nominated 
previous  to,  or  in  connection  with  the  Sec- 
retaries. When  the  business  of  a  meeting  is 
thus  opened,  it  rarely  happens  that  any  op- 
position is  made  to  the  regular  nominations 
for  officers.  All  opposers  may  safely  be  set 
down  as  disorganizes,  as  the  right  to  nomi- 
nate officers  clearly  rests  with  those  who 
called  the  meeting.  Upon  them  rests  the 


14  TOWN    AND    WAfiD    MEETINGS. 

responsibility  and  expense,  and  to  them  be- 
longs the  honor  of  commencing  the  proceed- 
ings, and  of  opening  the  way  for  business. 

3.  The  meeting  being  thus  organized,  the 
Chairman  will  ask  for,  or  produce  himself, 
the  call  of  the  meeting,  as  published  in  the 
papers  or  in  handbills,  which  he  will  read, 
or  cause  to  be  read  by  the  Secretary.     Or, 
he  may,  at  his  option,  instead  of  reading  the 
call,  verbally  offer  some   remarks   explana- 
tory of  the  objects  of  the  meeting.     Either 
course  is  strictly  in  order.     This  being  done, 
the   Chairman    will    say,    "  the   meeting    is 
now  organized,  and  ready  to  proceed  to  busi- 
ness." 

4.  The  proper  course  is  then  for  some  in- 
dividual, who  has  been  designated   for   that 
duty  by  the  persons  who  called  the  meeting, 
to  rise  and  say — "  Mr.  Chairman — I  move 
that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  draft  resolu- 
tions for  the  action  of  the  meeting,"  or,  "  ex- 
pressive of  the  sense  of  the  meeting."     The 
motion  being  seconded,  the   Chairman  will, 
after  asking  if  the  meeting  "  is  ready  for  the 
question,"  put  the  question   in   the   manner 
before   mentioned.     If  the   motion  prevails, 


TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS.  15 

the  Chairman  will  say  "  the  motion  is  agreed 
to,"  and  ask :  "  Of  how  many  shall  the 
committee  consist?"  Some  member  of  the 
meeting  will  then  probably  nominate  "  three," 
perhaps  another  "five,"  and  another  "  seven." 
The  custom  is  to  take  the  question  on  the 
highest  number  first.  If  that  does  not  pre- 
vail, the  Chairman  will  proceed  with  the 
next  highest,  and  so  on  until  the  meeting 
agrees  to  a  certain  number.  If  only  one 
number  be  named,  and  that  number  be  five, 
the  Chairman  will  say:  "The  number  five 
has  been  named,  and  as  no  other  number  is 
mentioned,  the  committee  will  consist  of 
five." 

5.  The  Chairman  should  then  ask : 
"  How  shall  the  committee  be  appointed — 
will  the  meeting  nominate?"  If  those  pre- 
sent desire  to  name  the  committee,  they 
will  then  nominate,  and  when  the  number  is 
filled  up,  and  the  names  read  off  by  the  Sec- 
retary, the  Chairman  will  say,  "  Shall  these 
gentlemen  be  your  committee  7"  If  no  ob- 
jection be  offered,  he  will  add — u  they  will 
be  your  committee  ?"  The  most  usual 
course,  however,  in  forming  committees,  is, 
3* 


16  TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS. 

for  several  voices  to  say,  "  the  Chair  will 
appoint,"  whereupon  the  Chairman  will 
ask,  "  Is  it  the  pleasure  of  the  meeting  that 
the  Chair  appoint  the  committee?"  If  no 
objection  be  made,  he  will  then,  himself, 
select  and  announce  the  committee. 

6.  It  is  customary  to  place  the  gentleman 
who  makes  a  motion,  as  the  first  on  the  com- 
mittee, it  being  understood  that  he  will  act 
as  its  chairman.  Any  other  course  is  cal- 
culated to  give  offence,  and  I  have  known 
such  an  omission  regarded  as  a  personal  af- 
front. If  the  gentleman  so  named,  or  any 
other  appointed  on  the  committee,  does  not 
wish  to  serve,  he  may  decline.  In  such 
cases  it  is  usual  for  the  gentleman  to  assign 
his  reasons,  whereupon  the  presiding  officer 
asks,  "  Shall  the  gentleman  be  excused  ?" 
and  if  no  serious  objection  be  made,  he  will 
declare  him  excused,  and  appoint  another  in 
his  place.  As  a  general  rule,  gentlemen 
ought  not  to  move  to  raise  committees,  in- 
volving labor  and  trouble,  unless  they  are 
willing  to  share  that  labor  and  trouble  them- 
selves. 

7.    When   the   committee    is   announced, 


TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS.  17 

the  gentleman  first  named  will  go  to  the 
Secretary's  table,  and  obtain  a  copy  of  the 
names  of  his  colleagues,  and  request  them  to 
accompany  him  to  an  adjoining  room,  or 
some  contiguous  place.  During  the  absence 
of  the  committee,  it  is  usual  to  call  upon 
some  well  known  speaker  to  address  the 
meeting.  When  the  committee  have  agreed 
upon  a  report,  they  should  immediately  re- 
turn, and  the  chairman  should  place  him- 
self near  the  President,  and  in  view  of  the 
person  speaking,  who  will  most  probably 
bring  his  remarks  to  a  close,  as  soon  as  he 
finds  the  committee  returned  and  prepared 
to  report.  The  moment  he  ceases,  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  will  address  the 
presiding  officer  of  the  meeting,  and  say : 
"  Mr.  Chairman — the  committee  appointed 
to  prepare  resolutions,  have  instructed  me  to 
report  the  following,"  and  then  hand  the 
resolutions  to  the  Chair,  or  proceed  to  read 
them  himself.  The  Chairman  will  receive 
the  resolutions  and  say,  "  the  committee 
appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  report  the 
following — they  will  be  read,"  and  then 
direct  the  Secretary  to  read  them.  After 


18  TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS. 

being  read,  he  will  continue,  "  the  resolu- 
tions are  before  the  meeting — will  the  meet- 
ing consider  them  separately  or  altogether  I" 
Most  probably  members  will  say  "  sepa- 
rately," whereupon  the  Chairman  will  say 
"  the  resolutions  will  be  considered  separate- 
ly— the  first  resolution  is  before  the  meet- 
ing." Some  gentleman  will  then  rise  to 
speak,  or  to  move  that  it  be  adopted.  In 
the  former  case,  the  Chairman  will  say, 

"  Mr.  ,"  naming   him — in  the  latter 

case,  he  will  say,  "  it  is  moved  and  second- 
ed that  the  resolution  be  adopted — is  the 
meeting  ready  for  the  question  ?"  If  no 
one  rises,  after  pausing  a  moment  or  two, 
he  will  put  the  question  in  the  following 
manner :  "  As  many  as  are  in  favor  of  the 
adoption  of  the  resolution  will  please  say 
t  aye' — those  of  the  contrary  opinion  will  say 
'  no.'  "  Should  the  ayes  appear  to  prepon- 
derate, he  will  say,  "the  ayes  appear  to 
have  it,"  and  if  no  one  calls  for  a  division, 
he  will  continue,  "  the  ayes  have  it — the 
resolution  is  agreed  to." 

8.  Should  a  division  be  called  for  any  time 
previous  to  the  result  being  declared  by  the 


TOWN    AND  WARD    MEETINGS.  19 

Chairman,  he  will  say — "  a  division  is  called 
for — gentleman  in  the  affirmative  will  please 
rise."  He  should  then  direct  the  Secretary 
to  count  the  number  standing,  and  when  this 
is  done,  and  the  number  reported  to  him,  he 
will  say  "  forty- four  gentlemen  are  up," 
supposing  that  to  be  the  number,  and  then 
request  those  up  to  be  seated,  afterwards 
pursuing  a  similar  course  with  those  in  the 
negative.  If  the  Chairman  is  in  serious  doubt 
himself,  as  to  the  preponderance  of  voices, 
he  may  announce  to  the  meeting  that  "  it  is 
impossible  for  the  Chair  to  decide,"  and  then 
request  the  members  to  divide,  as  above. 

9.  But  in  most  of  our  Town  and  Ward 
meetings  it  is  now  the  usual  custom  to  have 
the  resolutions  prepared  beforehand,  and  this 
is  decidedly  the  better  plan.     In   this  case, 
and  when    the  appointment  of  a  committee 
is  not  desired,  the  gentleman  who    may  be 
charged  with  the  duty  of  offering  them,  will 
rise  and  submit  them  immediately  after  the 
Chairman    announces    that  "  the  meeting  is 
organized,  and  ready  to  proceed  to  business." 

10.  The  resolutions,  of  course,  constitute 
the  real  business  of  a  meeting,  although  very 


20  TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS. 

many  political  meetings  are  called  on  the 
eve  of  every  important  election,  not  so  much 
to  do  business,  as  to  hear  the  remarks  of 
distinguished  speakers.  And  in  many  in- 
stances, the  meeting  is  no  sooner  organized 
than  great  clamor  and  confusion  ensue,  by 
calling  for  this  or  that  individual  to  address 
the  meeting.  In  most  cases,  however,  it  is 
better  to  have  the  resolutions  presented  be- 
fore the  speaking  commences,  for  if  they  be 
kept  back  until  late,  they  are  often  passed  in 
*a  very  hurried  manner,  without  being  proper- 
ly digested.  In  meetings  not  of  a  political 
character,  the  resolutions,  which  are  usually 
introduced  with  some  remarks  by  the  gen- 
tleman who  presents  them,  often  elicit  much 
interesting  discussion,  so  as  to  be  kept  be- 
fore the  meeting  during  the  whole  session.* 

11.  When  a  resolution  before  the  meet- 
ing contains  a  blank,  that  should  be  filled 
before  the  question  is  taken  on  the  resolu- 
tion. To  fill  up  a  blank  is  precisely  the 
same  as  to  make  an  amendment,  excepting 
that  when  several  suggestions  are  made  as 

*  At  political  meetings  it  is  usual  for  the  Chairman  to 
announce  the  speakers,  particularly  strangers,  as  they  pre- 
sent themselves  to  the  audience. 


TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS.  21 

to  number  and  time,  it  is  usual  to  take  the 
question,  first  on  the  highest  number,  the 
largest  sum  and  the  longest  time.* 

12.  When  resolutions  are  prefaced   by  a 
preamble,  the  question  is  not  taken  on    the 
preamble,  until  the  resolutions  are  disposed 
of.     Should  all  the  resolutions  be  negatived, 
the  preamble  falls  to  the  ground,  and  is  not 
acted  upon  at  all. 

13.  In  the  progress  of  a  meeting,  when  a 
speaker  has  concluded,  and    a  resolution  is 
pending,  it  is  usual  for  the  Chairman  to  say, 
"  the  question  is  upon  the  resolution — is  the 
meeting    ready    for    the    question  ?"     This 
will  either  bring  up    another   speaker,  or  a 
call  for  the  "question."    In  the  latter  case, 
the    Chairman,    unless   interrupted  by  some 
one  rising  to  speak,  will  proceed  to  take  the 
sense  of  the  meeting  on  the  resolution.     In 
public  meetings  of  citizens  it  is  not  usual  to 
force  a  question  until  all  have  spoken  who 
desire  to  speak.     To  call  for  the  "  question," 
while  any  one  is  speaking,  is  usually  con- 


*  This  is  the  Legislative  as  well  as  Congressional  rule  on 
this  subject.  In  Parliament,  the  question  is  taken  first  on 
the  smallest  number,  and  longest  time. 


22  TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS. 

sidered  an  act  of  great  rudeness,  but  this 
course  is  sometimes  adopted,  by  a  wearied 
audience,  to  get  rid  of  an  uninteresting 
speaker. 

14.  Sometimes   the  resolutions  submitted 
by  a  gentleman,  or  a  committee,  are  not  sat- 
isfactory,  and   require   modification    and    a 
careful   revision.     If  the   matter   cannot  be 
reached  by  amendment,  it  is  entirely  in  or- 
der to  refer  them  to  a  committee,  or  to  re- 
commit with  instructions.    A  resolution,  how- 
ever,   may    be    withdrawn    by    the    mover 
previous  to  amendment.     After  amendment, 
it  belongs  to  the  meeting. 

15.  As  soon  as  the  resolution  is  adopted, 
and  so  announced,  the  Chairman,  if  no  other 
business    immediately  offers,   should   say, — 
"  There  is  no  business  before  the  meeting." 
This  opens  an  opportunity  to  those  present, 
to  introduce  fresh  propositions  for  the   con- 
sideration of  the  meeting. 

16.  In  other  than  political  meetings  it  is 
not  customary  to  allow  a  speaker  to  occupy 
the  floor,  unless  he  rises  to  speak  on  a  reso- 
lution  already  offered,  or   prefaces    his   re- 
marks  by   stating   that   he  intends  to  offer 


TOWN    AND    WARD    MEETINGS.  23 

one.  Much  greater  latitude  in  this  matter 
is  usually  allowed  in  a  Town  meeting  than 
would  be  tolerated  in  a  well  regulated  So- 
ciety. It  not  unfrequently  happens  that 
gentlemen  are  really  desirous  of  reaching  a 
certain  point,  but  are  much  at  a  loss  as  to 
the  proper  mode.  In  such  cases  a  desultory 
debate,  if  permitted,  will  often  elicit  an  idea 
that  will  serve  as  a  starting  point,  and  re- 
lieve the  meeting  from  its  embarrassment. 

17.  When    the    announcement   of    "  no 
business,"  by  the  Chairman,  elicits  no  fur- 
ther resolutions  or   motions,  it   is   usual   to 
provide  for  the  publication  of  the   proceed- 
ings and  then  to  adjourn. 

18.  A  motion  to  adjourn,  or  a  motion  to 
adjourn  sine  die,  must   be  decided   without 
debate.     A  motion   to  adjourn   to  a  certain 
time,  is  debatable,  and  may  be  amended  as 
regards  the  time  named.* 


*  The  form  of  a  resolution  to  adjourn  to  a  day  certain,  is 
as  follows  : — "  Resolved,  that  when  this  meeting  adjourns,  it 

will  adjourn  to  meet  again,  on ,"  naming  the  time  and 

place.  When  this  is  considered  and  agreed  to,  it  is  usually 
followed  by  the  simple  motion  to  adjourn,  which,  having 
oeen  put  and  carried,  the  Chairman  will  declare  that  "  the 
meeting  stands  adjourned  until ,"  naming  the  time. 

4 


24  RELIGIOUS    PUBLIC    MEETINGS. 

t 
RELIGIOUS  PUBLIC   MEETINGS. 

In  public  meetings  or  anniversaries  of  a 
religious  or  a  benevolent  character,  the  cus- 
tom in  regard  to  resolutions  is  essentially 
different  from  that  laid  down  in  the  forego- 
ing. In  these  meetings  it  is  usual,  immedi- 
ately after  the  organization  is  effected,  to 
present  a  report  of  the  past  year's  proceed- 
ings, which  is  read  by  the  Secretary,  or  the 
chairman  of  the  Executive  Board.  After 
this  the  resolutions  are  brought  forward 
singly,  by  different  gentlemen  present. 

A  gentleman  will  rise,  address  the  Chair, 
offer  his  resolution,  and  proceed  with 
his  remarks.  When  he  has  concluded,  an- 
other speaker  will  rise  and  say,  "  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, I  second  the  resolution  just  offered," 
and  then  go  on  with  his  address.  On  the  con- 
clusion of  his  remarks,  the  President  will  say, 
"  The  following  resolution  has  been  moved 
and  seconded, — it  will  be  read  by  the  Secre- 
tary,"— and  being  so  read,  the  Chairman, 
finding  the  meeting  prepared  for  a  vote,  pro- 
ceeds to  put  the  question.  This  course  is  pur- 
sued with  all  the  principal  resolutions  offered. 


RELIGIOUS    PUBLIC    MEETINGS.  25 

This  is  a  beautiful  mode  of  doing  busi- 
ness, and  prevails,  very  generally,  at  all 
large  anniversary  meetings  in  England,  as 
well  as  in  this  country.  The  plan  affords  an 
excellent  opportunity  for  bringing  systemati- 
cally forward,  a  large  number  of  speakers, 
and  greatly  adds  to  the  interest  of  a  meeting. 

To  carry  out  this  design  in  the  most  ef- 
fective manner,  it  is  necessary  that  all  the 
business  proposed  to  be  acted  upon,  should 
be  arranged  some  time  before  the  meeting. 
Those  expected  to  address  the  meeting, 
should  be  furnished,  some  time  in  advance, 
with  a  copy  of  the  resolution  upon  which 
they  are  desired  to  speak.  It  is  exceeding- 
ly improper  to  defer  this  matter  until  the 
speaker  is  upon  the  platform,  as  without 
some  previous  knowledge  of  the  particular 
point  assigned  him,  he  may  find  himself  al- 
most wholly  at  a  loss,  the  current  of  his 
thoughts  having  taken  another  direction. 
This  caution  is  also  necessary  in  order  to 
prevent  two  speakers  from  falling  into  the 
same  train  of  argument.  Sometimes  the 
committee  of  arrangement  request  speakers 
to  prepare  resolutions  for  themselves. 


26  COUNTY    CONVENTIONS. 

When  these  matters  are  previously  ar- 
ranged, it  is  customary  to  have  the  order  of 
exercises,  resolutions,  names  of  speakers, 
&c.,  printed  on  a  slip,  and  distributed  among 
the  meeting. 


COUNTY  CONVENTIONS. 

The  organization  of  these  bodies  is  man- 
aged, preliminarily,  very  much  the  same  as 
that  of  a  Town  Meeting,  excepting  that  the 
first  organization  is  generally  temporary.  Af- 
ter this  is  effected,  it  is  usual  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  nominate  permanent  officers, 
and  another  to  examine  and  report  on  the 
credentials  of  the  members.  In  the  appoint* 
ment  of  these  committees,  the  Chairman 
will,  of  course,  be  particular  to  name  no 
delegate  whose  seat  is,  or  likely  to  be,  con- 
tested. Such  an  appointment  might  lead  to 
serious  difficulty. 

The  Convention  being  permanently  or- 
ganized, it  may  be  expedient  to  appoint  a 
"  committee  to  report  what  business  is  pro- 
per to  be  brought  before  the  delegates," 
or  "to  prepare  resolutions  for  the  action  of 


COUNTY     CONVENTIONS.  27 

the  convention."  Where,  however,  the  ob- 
ject of  the  Convention  is  especially  defined, 
as  in  the  case  of  political  delegations  to  nom- 
inate a  ticket,  this  course  is  altogether  un- 
necessary, and  the  members  at  once  proceed 
to  enter  upon  their  duties,  in  the  usual  man- 
ner. 

In  all  large  bodies  of  this  character,  it  is 
very  rare  that  any  important  business  is  of- 
fered unless  it  comes  through  the  hands  of 
a  committee.  The  general  rules  of  order 
laid  down  in  this  work,  will,  it  is  believed, 
be  found  amply  sufficient  in  the  way  of  di- 
rection, to  meet  any  contingency  that  may 
arise. 

When  the  seat  of  a  delegate  is  disputed, 
it  is  usual,  when  the  matter  has  been  fairly 
brought  before  the  convention  by  committee 
or  otherwise,  to  allow  him  to  be  heard,  in 
support  of  his  right.  After  he  has  spoken 
he  should  immediately  withdraw,  until  his 
claim  is  decided,  or,  if  permitted  by  a  vote 
of  the  convention  to  remain,  he  should  take 
no  part  whatever  in  the  deliberations  or  vote, 
until  he  is  regularly  declared  a  member. 

In  State  Conventions  it  is  usual  to  adopt, 


28  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

as  rules  of  order,  those  which  govern  our 
State  Legislature.  All  the  essential  features 
of  these  rules  will  be  found  explained  in  this 
work. 


MODE  OF  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A 
SOCIETY,  BOARD  OF  MANAGERS,  &c. 

Promptly  at  the  time  named  in  the  notice 
issued  for  the  meeting,  the  President*  should 
take  the  chair.  The  custom  of  permitting  a 
delay,  or  allowing  "  grace,"  as  it  is  called, 
is  rapidly  falling  into  disuse.  No  efficient 
Presiding  officer  will  ever  suffer  it,  unless, 
indeed,  it  is  rendered  unavoidable  by  the 
want  of  a  sufficient  number  to  form  a  quo- 
rum, but  even  in  this  case  it  is  better  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  preliminary  steps  necessary 
for  an  organization.  In  Town  and  Ward 
meetings,  a  delay  of  a  few  minutes,  after  the 
arrival  of  the  time  appointed,  is  sometimes 


*  Most  Societies  have  a  Vice  President,  to  act  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  President,  and  who,  for  the  time  being,  is  clothed 
with  the  President's  authority.  In  all  other  cases  he  has  no 
other  privileges  than  those  of  any  other  member. 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  29 

rendered  necessary,  but  it  should  never  be 
suffered  in  a  well-regulated  Society. 

1.  The  President,  on  taking  the  chair, 
will  say,  "  The  meeting  will  please  come 
to  order.  The  Secretary  will  call  the  roll." 
In  small  bodies,  it  is  not  unusual  for  the 
President  himself  to  count  the  members,  and 
if  a  quorum*  be  present,  to  announce  the 
fact,  and  proceed  with  business,  dispensing 
with  roll  call.  In  other  cases,  the  Secretary 
having  called  the  roll,  reports  to  the  Presi- 
dent the  number  present.  Should  there  not 
be  a  quorum,  proceedings  are  necessarily 
suspended.  The  most  general  usage  is,  to 
wait  for  half  an  hour,")"  and  then,  if  still  de- 
ficient in  the  requisite  number,  to  adjourn  ; 
and  in  this  case,  unless  a  special  meeting  is 
regularly  called  in  the  mean  time,  the  ad- 
journment will  be  until  the  next  stated  meeting. 


*  If  there  be  no  law  on  the  subject,  a  majority  of  the 
whole  number  of  the  members  is  necessary  to  constitute  a 
quorum. 

t  This  delay,  however,  is  longer  than  should  be  allowed, 
in  justice  to  the  members  who  are  punctual.  In  some  cor- 
porations only  five  minutes  are  allowed.  Perhaps  fifteen 
minutes  would  be  more  reasonable.  In  all  cases  this  matter 
should  be  clearly  settled  by  a  provision  in  the  by-laws. 


30  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

2.  If  a  quorum  be  present,  the  President 
will  say,  "  There  is  a  quorum  of  members 
present — the   Secretary  will   read  the   min- 
utes of  the  last  meeting."  * 

3.  The  minutes  of  the  previous  meeting 
having   been   read,  the   President  will   say, 
"The  members   have   heard  read  the  min- 
utes of  the  last  meeting — unless  there  be  ob- 
jection  offered,  they  will  be   considered   as 
approved."     If  no  objection   be  made,  after 
pausing  a  moment  or  two,  he  will  add,  "  the 
minutes  are  approved." 

It  is  the  custom  of  many  presiding  offi- 
cers formally  to  take  the  question  on  the 
adoption  of  the  minutes,  but  this  is  alto- 
gether unnecessary.  The  minutes  being  a 
fair  transcript  of  the  doings  of  the  previous 
meeting,  are  supposed  to  be  correct,  and  if 
so,  must  be  approved,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
It  is  only  in  case  of  error  that  a  motion  is 
necessary,  and  if  any  be  detected,  a  mem- 
ber should  rise  and  move  that  it  be  correct  - 

*  The  absence  of  the  Secretary  from  the  meeting,  with 
his  books  and  papers,  does  not  prevent  those  who  are  con- 
stitutionally assembled  from  transacting  business,  although 
what  is  done  will  necessarily  be  attended  with  some  incon- 
venience. 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  31 

ed.  Any  dispute  respecting  the  actual  ex- 
istence of  an  error,  may  be  settled  by  a  mo- 
tion. After  being  corrected,  the  President 
will  say,  "  Shall  the  minutes,  as  corrected, 
be  approved  ?"  And  if  no  further  objec- 
tions be  made,  he  will  declare  the  minutes 
approved.* 

Sometimes  gentlemen  who  are  dissatisfied 
with  some  action  of  the  previous  meeting, 
will  move  to  amend  by  striking  out  the  ob- 
jectionable passages  from  the  minutes,  but  all 
such  motions  are  out  of  order.  No  motion 
to  amend  the  minutes  can  be  received,  unless 


*  With  a  good  Secretary,  errors  in  the  minutes  will  rare- 
ly occur.  Sometimes,  however,  on  a  press  of  motions,  and 
the  hurry  of  business,  they  are  unavoidable.  When  clearly 
apparent,  no  Secretary  should  hesitate  for  a  moment  about 
yielding  to  the  correction,  even  though  at  the  expense  of  de- 
facing his  Record  book.  Accuracy  in  these  matters  is  of 
the  highest  importance. 

In  some  Societies  it  is  the  custom  to  have  the  minutes 
read,  just  previous  to  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting  at 
which  they  are  taken.  The  object  is,  that  if  any  mistake 
has  been  recorded,  it  may  be  corrected  while  the  matter  is 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  members,  and  before  the  minutes 
are  recorded  on  the  Secretary's  book.  This  is  a  very  excel- 
lent custom. 

When  a  Society  has  more  than  one  Secretary,  the  first 
named  is  usually  the  acting  officer. 


32  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

it  have  reference  to  the  correction  of  an  er- 
ror in  the  minutes  as  recorded  and  read. 

4.  The  President  will  then  say,  "the 
first*  business  in  order  is  to  receive  letters, 
petitions,  or  communications — have  gentle- 
men any  to  present  ?"  Any  member  having 
a  communication  to  offer,  will  then  rise  in  his 
place,  and  say,  "  Mr.  President,"  and  then 
pause  until  he  secures  the  attention  of  the 
Presiding  officer,  who  will  say,  as  soon  as 
he  perceives  the  member  on  his  feet,  "  Mr. 

,"  naming  him.f     This   secures   the 

gentleman  the  floor,  and  he  should  then  pro- 
ceed :  "  I  have  been  requested  to  present  a 
communication,  relating  to,  &c.,"  giving  a 
very  brief  and  succinct  statement  of  its  char- 
acter, after  which  he  will  hand  the  commu- 
nication to  the  President.  The  Presiding 

*  The  order  in  which  business  is  taken  up,  varies  in  dif- 
ferent institutions.  The  arrangement  here  offered  prevails 
in  very  many  societies  and  institutions,  and  for  various  rea- 
sons is  believed  to  be  the  most  convenient. 

t  In  Congress  and  in  our  State  Legislature,  the  Speaker, 
instead  of  naming  the  gentleman  on  the  floor,  says,  "the 

member  from "  naming  the  state  or  county  he 

represents.  This  plan  may  be  pursued  in  all  other  bodies 
where  the  members  appear  in  the  capacity  of  representa- 
tives. 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  33 

officer,  on  receiving  the  paper,  should  say : 
"  A  communication  is  presented  relating  to, 
&c.,"  repeating  its  character.  "It  will  be 
read,"  and  then  hand  it  to  the  Secretary. 
The  reading  of  communications  is  a  matter 
of  business  never  objected  to  by  members, 
unless  they  have  reason  to  believe  it  disre- 
spectful in  its  language  or  character ;  but 
such  communications  should  never  be  pre- 
sented, and  it  is  unquestionably  the  duty 
of  a  member  to  guard  himself  and  his 
associates  on  this  point,  by  knowing  some- 
thing of  the  character  of  the  paper  he 
offers. 

The  communication  having  been  read,  the 
President  asks,  "  What  order  shall  be  taken 
on  this  communication  ?"  A  motion  from 
some  member  then  becomes  necessary.  If 
the  matter  is  one  that  requires  deliberation, 
it  may  be  referred  to  a  committee,  or  post- 
poned for  the  present,  to  be  taken  up  in 
a  subsequent  part  of  the  meeting  for  dis- 
cussion. In  this  case,  some  member  will 
rise  and  say,  "  I  move  that  it  be  postponed 
for  the  present,"  which  motion  being 


34  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

seconded,*  the  President  says,  "  It  is 
moved  and  seconded  that  the  communication 
be  postponed  for  the  present — as  many  as 
are  in  favor  of  that  motion  will  please  say 
4  aye,' — those  of  the  contrary  opinion  will 
please  say  '  no.'  "  If  the  President  thinks, 
from  the  sound  of  the  voices,  that  the  ayes  are 
in  a  majority,  he  will  say  "  the  ayes  appear 
to  have  it,"  and  then  pause  for  a  moment 
or  two,  to  give  any  who  doubts,  the  privi- 
lege of  calling  for  a  division,  or  for  the  yeas 
and  nays.f  If  no  one  objects,  he  will 
proceed  ;  u  the  ayes  have  it — the  motion  is 
agreed  to." 

This  is  the  ordinary  mode  of  putting  all 
questions,  although  in  many  cases,  where 
the  expression  of  opinion  is  pretty  much  all 
on  one  side  of  the  question,  the  President 

*  In  small  bodies  it  is  not  usual  for  the  President  to  wait 
for  a  seconder,  it  being  understood  that  he  seconds  all  mo- 
tions and  resolutions  himself.  Such  also  is  the  usage  in  the 
Select  Council  of  this  city.  The  President,  however,  is  not 
obliged,  unless  he  sees  proper  so  to  do,  to  take  any  notice  of 
a  motion  unless  it  be  seconded. 

t  A  division  may  be  taken  on  the  call  of  one  member, 
but  to  take  the  yeas  and  nays,  requires  that  the  call  be  sec« 
onded,  or  made  by  two  members.  In  Congress,  the  yeas  and 
nays  are  not  called  unless  the  motion  is  seconded  by  one- 
fifth  of  the  members  present. 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  35 

instead  of  saying,  "  the  ayes  appear  to  have 
it,"  will  say,  "  the  ayes  have  it." 

A  division  may  be  called  for  by  any  one 
member  any  time  before  the  final  result  is 
declared  by  the  President.  In  that  case  he 
will  say  : — "  A  division  is  called  for — gen- 
tlemen in  favor  of  the  motion  will  please 
rise  and  remain  standing  until  they  are 
counted."  He  will  then  direct  the  Secre- 
tary to  count  the  number  standing,  and  when 
that  is  ascertained  and  reported  to  him,  (or  he 
may  count  them  himself,)  request  those  up  to 
take  their  seats,  and  pursue  a  similar  course 
with  those  in  the  negative  on  the  question. 

Whenever  possible,  it  is  undoubtedly  the 
best  course  to  make  a  final  disposition  of  all 
communications  at  once,  in  order  to  prevent 
business  from  accumulating  too  rapidly  on 
the  table. 

When  the  President   has  communications 
himself  to  present,  it  is  usual  for  him  to  an- 
noirnra    thp.m    after    frp.    has    received    those  a 
from  the  members^ 

5.    The   President  will   then  say,   "The 
next  business  in  order  is  reports  from  Stand- 
ing   Committees — has    the    Committee    on 
5 


36  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

,"  naming  the  first  committee  on  the 

list,  "any  report  to  offer?"  The  Chair- 
man  of  that  committee,  or  in  his  absence, 
one  of  the  members,  will  then  rise  and  say  : 

"  Mr.  President,  the  Committee  on 

have  instructed  me  to  make  the  following 
report,"  handing  it  to  the  President.  The 
President,  on  receiving  it,  should  say :  "  a 
report  is  received  from  the  Committee  on 
.  The  report  will  be  read." 

All  reports  should  terminate  with  a  reso- 
lution. This  is  the  unvarying  custom  in 
Legislative  bodies,  and  in  all  Societies  and 
institutions  of  the  higher  class.  If  the  re- 
port merely  embraces  matter  for  the  infor- 
mation of  the  Society,  and  requires  no  spe- 
cial action,  the  resolution  may  be  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"Resolved — That  the  committee  be  dis- 
charged from  the  further  consideration  of 
the  subject." 

The  report  having  been  read,  the  Presi- 
dent will  say  :  "  What  order  will  the  meet- 
ing take  on  the  resolution  attached  to  the  re- 
port?" Some  member  may  then  move  that 
it  be  adopted,  or  that  it  be  postponed  for  the 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  37 

present,  and  the  resolution  is  thus  brought 
up  for  the  immediate  action  of  the  members. 

In  some  Societies,  after  a  report  has  been 
read,  it  is  usual  to  make  a  motion  to  accept 
or  adopt  it,  but  this  is  altogether  unneces- 
sary, unless  the  reception  of  the  report  is 
objected  to.  It  is  the  recommendations  of 
the  committee,  as  embraced  in  their  resolu- 
tions, rather  than  the  report  itself,  that  are 
the  proper  subjects  for  the  action  of  the 
meeting.  The  report,  however,  if  objec- 
tionable or  unsatisfactory,  may  be  recommit- 
ed,  by  a  motion  to  that  effect,  with  or  with- 
out instruction,  or,  on  leave  given,  before  ac- 
tion has  been  had  upon  it,  it  may  be  with- 
drawn by  the  committee. 

It  has  long  been  a  subject  of  inquiry 
whether  or  not  a  meeting  possesses  the 
right  to  amend  a  report.  General  usage  is 
unquestionably  against  the  measure.  After 
a  close  examination  of  the  decisions  in  our 
State  Legislature,  I  have  been  enabled  to 
find  but  one  instance  in  which  it  was 
exercised.  Mr.  Sutherland,  however,  is 
clearly  of  opinion  that  the  House  have  as 
much  right  to  amend  a  report,  as  a  resolu- 


38  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

tion  or  a  bill.  Mr.  Gushing  also  adopts  this 
opinion.  A  more  courteous  plan,  doubtless, 
is  to  recommit  with  instructions. 

If  the  Committee  have  no  report  to  offer, 
the  chairman  should  say  : — "  Mr.  President, 

the  Committee  on have  no  report 

to  make  at  this  time,"  which  announcement 
the  President  should  repeat,  and  then  pass  to 
the  committee  next  in  order. 

Should  a  committee  not  be  unanimous  in 
opinion,  and  those  in  the  minority  be  desir- 
ous of  placing  their  views  before  the  meet- 
ing, the  matter  should  be  introduced  imme- 
diately after  the  majority  report  has  been 
read.  A  member  will  then  move  that  "  the 
report  and  resolution  thereto  attached  be 
postponed  for  the  present,  for  the  purpose  of 
enabling  the  minority  to  present  their  re- 
port." If  this  motion  prevails,  as  is  almost 
always  the  case,  the  minority  report  will  be 
immediately  presented,  received  and  read. 
It  is  then  in  order,  on  motion,  to  take  up  for 
consideration  the  resolution  attached  to  either 
of  the  reports. 

If  the  minority  are  not  prepared  to  report, 
a  motion  may  be  made  to  postpone  the  ma- 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  39 

jority  report  until  the  next  meeting,  in  or- 
der to  enable  the  minority  to  get  their  report 
ready.* 

6.  When  all  the  Standing  Committees 
have  been  called  over,  the  President  will 
call  for  reports  from  Special  Committees, 
which  will  be  disposed  of  in  like  manner.  If 
a  Special  Committee,  previously  instructed  to 
report  at  a  specified  day,  have  not  been  able 
to  complete  their  labors,  the  chairman 
should  say,  "Mr.  President,  the  Special 
Committee  on ,  not  having  had  suffi- 
cient time  to  complete  their  investigations, 
report  progress,  and  ask  to  be  continued*" 
This  should  be  repeated  by  the  President, 
who  will  ask,  "  Shall  the  Committee  be 
continued?"  If  no  objection  be  made,  he 
will  add,  "  The  Committee  will  be  con- 
tinued." 

When  a  Special  Committee  desires  to  be 
discharged  without  making  a  written  report, 
the  chairman,  when  that  committee  is  called 

*  Mr.  Onslow,  at  one  time  speaker  of  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, justly  remarked,  that  a  check  on  the  actions  of  the 
majority,  and  protection  to  the  minority  against  the  at- 
tempts of  power,  can  only  be  secured  by  close  attention  to 
the  rules  of  proceeding. 

5* 


40  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

upon,  should  state  the  reasons  verbally,  and 
then  move  for  its  discharge  himself. 

It  is  not  usual  to  record  upon  the  minutes, 
at  length,  the  reports  of  committees.  Such 
a  course,  in  some  Societies,  would  involve 
the  Secretary  in  an  immense  amount  of  la- 
bor. The  most  general  usage  is  simply  to 

state  that  "  the  Committee  on ,  through 

Mr. ,  chairman,  made  a  report,  ac- 
companied with  the  following  resolution," 
and  then  to  insert  the  resolution,  and  the  ac- 
tion of  the  meeting  upon  it.  All  reports  and 
documents  should  be  folded  up  neatly,  en- 
dorsed with  their  character,  date  of  pre- 
sentation, and  filed  among  the  Secretary's 
papers.  In  some  cases,  however,  a  report 
may  embrace  very  important  matters,  which 
the  members  may  desire  to  have  immedi- 
ately before  them.  All  such  should,  by  a 
motion,  be  directed  to  be  entered  upon  the 
minutes. 

7.  The  reports  of  committees  being  all 
received,  the  President  will  call  for  the  Trea- 
surer's report,  which,  if  presented,  he  will 
direct  the  Secretary  to  read.  In  some  So- 
cieties which  meet  monthly,  the  Treasurer's 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  41 

report  is  made  quarterly  or  semi-annually. 
The  President  should  be  careful  to  remem- 
ber the  proper  time,  so  that  if  the  Treasurer 
has  been  neglectful,  he  may  be  reminded  of 
his  duty. 

When  the  report  has  been  read,  the  Pres- 
ident, without  a  motion,  will  direct  it  to  be 
handed  to  the  auditors,  entered  on  the  min- 
utes, filed,  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  as  the 
by-laws  may  direct. 

Too  much  attention  cannot  be  paid  to  the 
financial  affairs  of  a  Society,  and  every  Trea- 
surer should  be  a  careful,  prompt,  and  sys- 
tematic business  man.  Frequent  reports 
from  this  officer,  so  that  the  members 
may  be  kept  constantly  advised  of  the  state 
of  the  Treasury,  are  not  only  desirable,  but 
almost  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  any  in- 
stitution, no  matter  what  its  character. 

8.  The  next  order  to  be  announced  by 
the  President,  is  "  to  take  up  unfinished 
business,"  which  includes  all  resolutions  left 
under  consideration,  and  all  reports  and  com- 
munications "  postponed  for  the  present,"  or 
not  finally  disposed  of  at  previous  meetings. 
If  the  previous  meeting  adjourned  while  debat- 


42  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

ing  a  resolution,  the  President  should  de- 
clare that  resolution  to  be  first  in  order. 
The  member  speaking  at  the  adjournment, 
if  he  gave  way  to  a  motion  to  adjourn,  is 
again  entitled  to  the  floor,  and  should  be  so 
informed  by  the  President's  saying,  "  Mr. 
is  entitled  to  the  floor." 

If  the  previous  meeting  did  not  adjourn 
while  debating  a  resolution,  any  item  of  un- 
finished business  may  be  taken  up,  on  mo- 
tion. 

The  proper  course  is  for  the  Secretary  to 
keep  a  list  of  all  items  of  unfinished  busi- 
ness, on  a  slip  immediately  before  him, 
which  he  should  read  over,  when  this  order 
in  the  business  is  reached.  The  President 
may  then  ask,  "  Is  it  the  pleasure  of  the 
meeting  to  take  up  for  consideration  the  first 
item  ?"  and  if  no  objection  be  made,  he  will 
declare  it  to  be  before  the  members.  If  it  is 
deemed  preferable  first  to  consider  some 
other  item,  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  motion 
to  postpone  the  first  item,  for  the  purpose  of 
proceeding  to  the  consideration  of  another, 
which  may  be  named. 

9.    Unfinished  business  having  been  gone 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  43 

through  with,  or  continued  over,  the  Presi- 
dent will  say,  u  New  business  is  now  in  or- 
der." This  is  the  proper  time  for  offering 
original  resolutions,  for  moving  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  committees,  or  increasing  the 
number  of  members  on  any  already  existing, 
for  proposing  or  electing  new  members  to 
the  Society,  and  for  the  transaction  of  any 
other  business  not  elsewhere  provided  for. 

A  member  offering  a  resolution,*  will 
rise  and  say,  "  Mr.  President,  I  beg  leave 
to  offer  the  following  resolution,"  which, 
after  reading,  he  will  hand  to  the  Chair. 
The  resolution  being  seconded,  the  President 
will  say,  "  The  following  resolution  has 
been  moved  and  seconded — it  will  be  read 
by  the  Secretary,"  and  being  so  read,  he 
will  continue,  "  the  meeting  has  heard  the 
resolution — are  gentlemen  ready  for  the  ques- 
tion?" If  no  one  rises  to  speak,  the  ques- 
tion will  then  be  taken  at  once. 

*  Resolutions  are,  in  this  state,  almost  invariably  pre- 
faced by  the  word  "  Resolved."  In  the  Eastern  States  the 
term  is  "  Voted?  In  many  religious  bodies  the  initiatory 
word  is  "  Ordered."  Hatsell  says  :-"  When  the  House  com- 
mands, it  is  by  '  an  order.'  But  facts,  principles,  their  own 
opinions  and  purposes,  are  expressed  in  the  form  of  resolu- 
tions." 


44  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

Legislative  bodies  make  a  marked  dis- 
tinction between  resolutions  and  motions. 
The  former  are  presumed  to  embrace  mat- 
ters of  importance,  and,  after  being  read  by 
the  clerk,  require  a  motion  to  "  proceed  to 
a  second  reading  and  consideration."  Mo- 
tions are  of  minor  character,  and  relate  gen- 
erally to  order  in  taking  up  business,  or  to 
some  preparatory  movements  necessary  for 
business.  These  do  not  require  a  second 
reading. 

In  Societies  all  resolutions  must  be  put  in 
writing,  at  the  request  of  the  President,  or  of 
any  member,  but  this  course  is  not  necessary 
in  regard  to  motions. 

Sometimes  it  is  very  desirable,  at  the 
commencement  of  a  meeting,  to  change  the 
order  of  business,  in  order  speedily  to  reach 
a  particular  matter  that  requires  prompt  at- 
tention. This  can  always  be  effected  by  a 
majority,  or  by  two-thirds,  as  may  be  laid 
down  in  the  by-laws,  concurring  in  opinion 
as  to  the  expediency. 

10.  When  any  cessation  occurs  in  busi- 
ness, the  President  should  say,  "  There  is 
no  business  before  the  meeting."  This  will 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS  IN  A  SOCIETY,  ETC.  45 

elicit  either  new  business  or  a  motion  to  ad- 
journ. A  motion  to  adjourn,  is,  however, 
almost  always  in  order.  The  exceptions 
are  so  few,  that  I  shall  notice  them  all  in  this 
place. 

1.  A  motion  to  adjourn  cannot  be  received 
while  a  member  has  the  floor.     The  mem- 
ber, however,  may  be   asked  to   give  way, 
in   order   that   the    motion   may   be   made, 
and  if  he  complies,  the   motion  can  be  re- 
ceived. 

2.  A   motion  to   adjourn  cannot   be   re- 
ceived while  the   yeas  and   nays  are  being 
called,  or  the  members   are   voting  on  any 
question. 

3.  A  motion  to  adjourn  cannot  be  received 
if  it  immediately  follows  a  similar  motion  just 
negatived.     If  a  proposition  be  made,  how- 
ever, intervening,  and  any  debate  ensues  up- 
on  it,  the  motion  is  in  order,  even  though 
the  proposition  be  not  acted  upon   or  with- 
drawn. 

A  meeting  is  not  adjourned,  until  so  de- 
clared by  the  President.  In  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  it  is  a  breach  of  order  for 
a  member  to  leave  his  seat,  until  the  ad- 


46    ADJOURNED    AND    SPECIAL    MEETINGS. 

journment    is   formally   announced   by   the 
Presiding  officer. 


Although,  in  passing  over  the  foregoing 
order  of  business,  I  have  gone  somewhat  in- 
to detail,  yet  I  have  noticed  no  proceedings 
that  are  not  usual  at  almost  every  meeting. 
Observations  on  less  familiar  questions,  and 
decisions  on  peculiar  and  interesting  points 
of  order,  will  be  found  under  subsequent 
heads. 


ADJOURNED  AND  SPECIAL  MEETINGS. 

An  adjourned  meeting  is  regarded  simply 
as  a  continuation  of  a  former  meeting,  and 
after  roll  call,*  the  business  should  be  re- 
sumed, the  same  as  if  no  adjournment  had 
taken  place.  The  President  should,  how- 
ever, announce  the  business,  and  if  it  be  the 
further  consideration  of  a  proposition  or  re- 
solution, state  it,  or  direct  it  to  be  read. 

At    special    meetings,    the    business    for 


*  In  some  Societies  it  is  the  custom  to  read  the  minutes 
of  n  former  meeting,  at  both  adjourned  and  special  meetings. 


OF    THE    PRESIDENT.  47 

which  the  meeting  was  convened,  is  first  in 
order,  after  roll  call.  After  that  business  has 
been  disposed  of,  any  other  matter  may  be 
taken  up,  a  majority  assenting.  In  all 
practicable  cases  the  object  of  a  special 
meeting  should  be  stated  in  the  call,  and 
endorsed  on  the  notice. 


OF  THE  PRESIDENT. 

The  office  of  President  is  one  of  much 
responsibility.  No  one  deficient  in  the 
qualifications  of  industry,  application  and 
energy,  should  accept  it.  The  President  is 
the  master  moving-spirit,  and,  by  his  zeal 
and  efforts,  may  give  animation  and  vigor 
to  the  whole  Society,  or  by  his  supineness 
and  neglect, thwart  the  most  active  exertions 
of  his  associates.  His  duties  are  of  high 
importance,  and  should  be  well  understood, 
and  promptly  and  cheerfully  discharged. 

1.  It  is  not  usually  expected  of  the  Presi- 
dent to  serve  on  committees,  but  this  does 
not  exonerate  him  from  seeing  that  all  the 
committees  are  attending  to  their  duties. 
6 


48  OF    THE    PRESIDENT. 

By  virtue  of  his  office, he  is  made,  in  many 
Societies,  a  member  of  all  committees,  and 
may  attend  their  meetings,  take  part  in  their 
deliberations,  (without  voting,  however,)  and 
urge  them  to  action.  He  should  never  omit 
to  call  over  each  committee  at  every  stated 
meeting. 

2.  The  President  should  see  that  all  the 
officers   attend   to  their  respective   duties — 
that  financial  and  other  reports  are  ready  to 
be  presented  at   the   proper   time — that   the 
requisitions   of   the    Charter    are    complied 
with — and    that   the    Constitution   and   By- 
laws are  properly  enforced,  and  not  allowed 
to  remain  a  dead  letter. 

3.  He  should  carefully  watch  the  state  of 
the  finances,  see  that  proper  efforts  are  made 
for  the  collection  of  the  Society's  revenue, 
from  dues,  fines,  and  other  sources,  and  cau- 
tion the  members,  when  necessary,  against 
imprudence  in  expenditures. 

4.  In  meetings,  he  should  take  the  chair 
punctually  at  the  proper  time ;  announce  all 
business ;  receive  and  submit  all  proper  mo- 
tions,   petitions,    reports    and    communica- 
tions ;  put  the  vote  as  soon  as  the  meeting 


OF    THE    PRESIDENT.  49 

is  ready ;  enforce  order  and  decorum  in  de- 
bate ;  decide  promptly  all  questions  of 
order ;  decide  promptly  who  is  to  speak, 
when  two  or  more  members  rise  at  the 
same  moment ;  and  be  careful  to  see  that  all 
business  is  brought  up  in  its  proper  order. 

5.  He   should    familiarize    himself   with 
decisions  on  points  of  order,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  meet  every  case  likely  to  arise,  and  thus 
avoid  the  necessity  of  confessing  ignorance, 
by  referring  the  question  to  the  Society  for 
decision.     The   influence   of  a  President   is 
soon  weakened, if  he  exhibits  embarrassment 
in  matters  of  this  sort. 

6.  Especially  should  the   President  care- 
fully watch    the    members  in  debate.     It  is 
his  duty  to  hear  every  word  that  is  spoken, 
and  every  speaker  should  have  his  undivided 
attention.     At  the  first  word  of  personality 
or   impropriety,  he   should   promptly   inter- 
fere, and  call  the  speaker  to   order.     Very 
often  members  are  permitted  to  go  to  great 
lengths    in    personalities,  before    they    are 
checked,    and    then    the   individual    assailed 
claims  the  right  to  reply,  so  that  crimination 
and  recrimination  are  sure  to  follow.     This 


50  OF    THE    PRESIDENT. 

evil  should  be  carefully  guarded   against, by 
checking  it  at  its  commencement. 

7.  The  President  should  ever  preserve  a 
courteous  and  conciliating  deportment  to  all, 
not  overlooking  the  humblest    member.     In 
the  appointment  of  committees,  he  has  many 
opportunities  for  bringing  humble  merit  into 
notice,  and  of  testing  and  making  available 
the    capabilities    of  those   around  him.     He 
should   carefully  avoid   both   petulance   and 
favoritism,  act  with  strict   impartiality,  and 
by  his  deportment  throughout,  show  himself 
deeply    interested    in    the  prosperity  of  the 
Society. 

8.  While  the  President  is  thus,  in  a  mea- 
sure, the  director  of  the  Society,  he  is  also 
its  servant.     It  is  his  duty  to  carry  out  and 
obey  the  instructions  of  the  Society  ;  to  au- 
thenticate   by    his    signature,    when    neces- 
sary, its  proceedings,  and  to  represent,  and 
stand  for  the  members,  whenever  and  where- 
ever  the  Society  is  required  to  appear  as  a 
unit. 

9.  In  small  bodies  it  is  not  usual  for  the 
President  to  rise  when  he  is  putting  a  ques- 
tion ;    but    in    large  Societies  or   meetings, 


OF    THE    SECRETARY.  51 

while  he  may  read  sitting,  it  is  more  digni- 
fied to  stand  while  taking  a  vote. 

10.  In   all   ballotings,  and    on   questions 
upon  which  the  yeas  and  nays  are  taken,  the 
President  is  required  to  vote,  but  his  name 
should  be  called  last.     In  other   cases  it  is 
not   usual  for   the   President   to  vote,  unless 
the   members  be   equally  divided,  or  unless 
his  vote,  if  given  to  the  minority,  will  make 
the   decision   equal — and   in   case    of   such 
equal  division,  the  motion  is  lost. 

11.  Congressional  and  Legislative  usage 
gives  the  presiding  officer  a  right  to  call  a 
member  to  the  chair,  in  order  that  he  may 
take  the  floor,  in  debate.     The  practice,  how. 
ever,  is  not  a  matter  of  very  frequent  occur- 
rence, as  in  these  bodies   the   Speaker   has 
opportunities  for  giving  his  views  on  every 
bill,  in  committee  of  the  whole. 


OF  THE  SECRETARY. 

The  duties  of  a  Secretary  are  more  me- 
chanical than  those  of  a  President,  but  they 
are  scarcely  less  important.     The  office  re- 
6* 


52  OF    THE    SECRETARY. 

quires  a  ready  writer,  and  a  shrewd,  spright- 
ly and  intelligent  man.  A  dull,  plodding, 
slow-moving  Secretary,  is  a  great  drawback 
upon  an  efficient  President,  and  a  serious 
hinderance  to  business.  I  have  known  such 
an  association  so  to  distress  the  presiding 
officer,  as  to  induce  him  to  undertake,  for 
the  time  being,  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
both  offices  at  the  same  time. 

1.  In   this  office,  system  is  every  thing. 
The  Secretary  should  come  to  the  meeting 
with  his  books  and  papers  in  perfect  order. 
Every  paper  likely  to  be  called  for,  should 
be  so  arranged  as  to  admit  of  being  produced 
the  moment  it  is  wanted.     He  should   keep 
on  a  loose  sheet,  or  on  a  page  of  his  memo- 
randum book,  a  list  of  all  the  committees  in 
full,  so  as  to  be  able  to  call  over  the  names 
of   the    members,    without    the    trouble  of 
searching  through  many  pages  of  his  minute 
book ;  and  so  also,  with  items  of  unfinished 
business,  which   he   should   be  able  to  call 
over  in  a  moment. 

2.  He  should  be  quick   in   catching  the 
import  of  motions,  and  verbal  amendments, 
and  prompt  in  reducing  them  to  writing,  in 


OF   THE    SECRETARY.  53 

a  proper  shape  for  the  action  of  the  meeting. 
Attention  to  this  particular  greatly  facilitates 
the  progress  of  business. 

3.  The  Secretary's  duties  require  him  to 
keep   a   correct  account  of  the  members  in 
attendance ;  to  preserve  a  faithful  record  of 
the  doings  of  the  Society  ;  to  read  all  papers 
handed  him  by  the  president  for   that  pur- 
pose ;  to  call  and  record  the  yeas  and  nays, 
whenever   they  are  required   to   be   called ; 
and  to  notify  the  chairman  of  each  commit- 
tee of  his  appointment,  giving  him  a  list  of 
his  colleagues,  and  stating  the  business  upon 
which  the  committee  is  to  act. 

4.  He  should  keep  a  list  of  each  member's 
address,   and   correct  it  from  time  to  time, 
in  case  of  change  or  removal,  about  which 
he  should  occasionally  inquire ;    and  be  at- 
tentive to  the  issuing  of  notices  of  meetings 
for  the  members,  in  seasonable  time. 

5.  The   Secretary's  minute  book   should 
be  both  a  journal  and  a  record  of  proceed- 
ings ;    although   it   is    not  required  of  that 
officer   to   take    reports  of  speeches,  or   to 
make   records   of  things   merely  moved   or 
proposed,  and  which  are  subsequently  with- 


54  OF    THE    SECRETARY. 

drawn.  Every  matter  of  interest,  however, 
and  every  proposition  upon  which  a  vote 
has  been  taken,  should  be  carefully  and 
accurately  noted. 

6.  The   Secretary   is   charged  with   the 
custody  of  many  important  papers  and  docu- 
ments, as  well  as  with  the  Society's  records. 
These  should  be  carefully  guarded,  and  no 
paper   should  be  suffered  to  be  taken  from 
his   table  or   his   keeping,  without  a  formal 
vote  of  the  Society. 

7.  The   Secretary  should  write  a  legible 
hand,  and  understand  punctuation,  so  as  to 
be   able   properly  to  punctuate  his   records. 
All  motions,  resolutions,  and  items  of  busi- 
ness, should  be  in  separate  paragraphs,  that 
they  may  be   readily  discovered  and   read. 
Every  minute   book   should  have  a  copious 
index,  or,  if  this  involves  too  much   labor, 
brief  side   notes,    indicating   the   subjects  in 
the  text,  should  be  placed  on  every  page  of 
the  record. 

8.  The  Secretary  is  not  deprived  of  the 
privilege  of  taking  part  in  the  deliberations 
of  a  meeting,  but,  as  a  general  rule,  it  will 
perhaps  be  found  that  he  can  serve  the  So- 


OF   THE   TREASURER.  55 

ciety  quite  as  efficiently  by  a  rigid  attention 
to  business,  as  by  occupying  much  time  on 
the  floor. 


OF  THE  TREASURER. 

The  duties  appertaining  to  the  office  of 
Treasurer,  though  essentially  the  same  in  all 
institutions,  vary,  in  detail,  according  to  the 
character  and  purposes  of  the  Society.  In 
some  they  will  necessarily  be  more  extended 
and  laborious  than  in  others.  To  avoid  dif- 
ficulty and  misunderstanding,  every  duty 
expected  of  this  officer  should  be  specifically 
laid  down  in  the  by-laws. 

1.  The  Treasurer  should  be  a  man  of 
business  habits,  accustomed  to  accounts,  punc- 
tual and  correct  in  his  own  dealings,  and 
prompt  and  energetic  in  attending  to  the  du- 
ties of  his  office.  The  slightest  dereliction 
in  this  department  produces  doubt  and  mis- 
trust, and  is  most  pernicious  to  the  interests 
of  the  institution  ;  and  even  a  loose  and  care- 
less mode  of  keeping  accounts,  is  often  al- 
most as  great  a  fault  as  positive  dishonesty. 


56  OF    THE    TREASURER. 

2.  The  Treasurer  is  held  responsible  for 
all   monies   paid  to  him  on  account  of  the 
Society.     He   should   charge   himself,  in   a 
book  kept  for  the  purpose,  with  all  monies 
so   received,  carefully  noting   the  date,  and 
the   source   whence   they  are   derived.     He 
is  also  entrusted  with  the  custody  of  books, 
important  documents  and  papers,  contracts, 
deeds,  mortgages,  &c.,  which  he  should  care- 
fully preserve,  allowing   no   one   to  remove 
them  from  his  possession,  without  a  formal 
order  from  the  Society. 

3.  All  payments  made  by  the  Treasurer, 
should  be  under  a  resolution  of  the  Society, 
or  on  a  requisition  signed  by  the  President 
and  Secretary.     These   resolutions   and   re- 
quisitions, together  with  his  receipts  for  mo- 
nies paid,  are  his  vouchers,  which  he   will 
file  among  his  papers,  and  hand  to  the  audi- 
tors, when  his  accounts  are  to  be  examined. 
The  Treasurer  should  be  careful  to  take  re- 
ceipts for  all  monies  by  him  paid  out,  and 
also  to  require  that  the  order  for  the  money 
be  endorsed  by  the  person  receiving  it. 

4.  The  number  and  form  of  the  Treasur- 
er's books  will  depend  upon  the  nature  and 


OF    THE   TREASURER.  57 

extent  of  his  duties.  In  many  Societies  it 
is  necessary  to  open  a  ledger  account  with 
every  member ; — such  is  the  case  in  Benefi- 
cial Societies,  where  money  is  paid  in  regu- 
larly by  each  member,  at  short  periods. 

5.  The  duty  of  collecting  in  the  revenues 
of  the  Society  usually  rests  with  the  Trea- 
surer, although  in  many  instances  he  is  in- 
structed  to  employ  a  collector  for  the  pur- 
pose, at  a  per  centum  allowance.    Sometimes 
a  collecting  committee  is   appointed   by  the 
meeting. 

6.  The  Treasurer  should  strenuously  en- 
deavour to  keep  his  books  well  posted  up,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  exhibit,  at  any  and   every 
meeting,  a  succinct  account  of  the  state  of  the 
treasury.     This   is   often    a   matter   of   the 
highest  importance,  and  the  information  may 
frequently  materially  influence  the  action  of 
a  meeting. 

7  As  often  as  the  by-laws  require,  the 
Treasurer  should  have  his  books  and  papers 
ready  for  the  examination  of  the  auditors, 
and  when  the  accounts  are  gone  over,  the 
result  should  be  reported  to  the  Society  by 
the  auditors,  and  entered  on  the  Secretary's 


58  OP    COMMITTEES. 

minutes.  In  many  cases  the  certificate  of 
the  auditors  is  written  in  the  Treasurer's 
books.  From  the  date  of  settlement  the 
Treasurer,  of  course,  commences  a  new  ac- 
count. 

8.  In  many  Societies  the  Treasurer  is  re- 
quired to  give  bond  for  the  faithful  perform- 
ance of  his  duties.     These  bonds  should  be 
deposited  with  the  President.     They  should 
be  renewed  at  every  successive  election,  un- 
less otherwise  ordered  by  the  Society. 

9.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office, 
the  Treasurer  should  carefully  settle  up  his 
books  and  accounts,  and  deliver  over  all  the 
books,  papers,  documents,  funds  and  other 
property  belonging  to  the  Society,  to  his  suc- 
cessor  in  office,  without  unnecessary  delay 
or  hinderance.  Neglect  or  inattention  to  this 
duty,  under  any  pretence,  is  justly  regarded 
as  a  serious  breach  of  propriety. 


OF  COMMITTEES. 

It  is  elsewhere  stated  that  the  usual  cus- 
tom is,  to  make  the  gentleman  upon  whose 
motion  a  committee  is  raised,  chairman  of 


OF    COMMITTEES.  59 

that  committee.  In  all  Legislative  bodies, 
when  standing  or  special  committees  are 
appointed,  the  individual  first  named  is  con- 
sidered as  the  chairman,  although,  according 
to  Parliamentary  usage,  each  committee  has 
a  right  to  elect  its  own  chairman.  This 
right,  however,  is  seldom,  if  ever,  exercised. 
In  some  Societies  the  by-laws  provide  for 
the  appointment  of  chairmen  of  committees 
in  this  manner,  and  in  many  instances  the 
efficiency  of  a  committee  is  thereby  in- 
creased. 

In  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  the 
members  elect  the  standing  committees,  first 
balloting  for  a  chairman  of  each,  and  after- 
wards for  the  balance  of  the  requisite  num- 
ber. In  the  House  of  Representatives,  com- 
mittees are  sometimes  chosen  by  ballot,  and 
in  that  case  the  rule  is,  that  if  a  sufficient 
number  are  not  chosen,  by  a  majority  of 
votes,  on  the  first  ballot,  a  second  ballot  is 
taken  in  which  a  plurality  of  votes  prevail. 
In  case  a  greater  number  than  is  required 
shall  have  an  equal  number  of  votes,  the 
house  proceeds  to  a  further  ballot  or  ballots. 

In  Congress,  any  member  may  excuse 
7 


60  OP    COMMITTEES. 

himself  from  serving  on  any  committee,  at 
the  time  of  his  appointment,  if  he  is  then  a 
member  of  two  other  committees. 

The  object  of  committees  is  to  consider 
some  particular  subject  or  subjects ;  to  gain 
information ;  to  digest  certain  business,  and 
place  it  in  a  shape  suitable  for  the  action  of 
the  Society,  or  to  attend  to  some  details  of 
business  in  which  the  whole  Society,  as  a 
body,  cannot  conveniently  act.  Committees 
are  required,  by  Parliamentary  usage,  to 
meet  and  attend  to  the  matters  assigned  them 
with  system  and  regularity,  and  not  by 
separate  consultation,  or  in  a  loose  and  in- 
definite manner.* 

Unless  otherwise  ordered  by  the  Society, 
the  President  will  appoint  all  committees. 
A  majority  of  a  committee  is  necessary  to 
constitute  a  quorum. 

In  appointing  committees,  those  who  take 
exceptions  to  some  particulars  in  the  matter 


*  Should  a  committee  not  make  report  in  due  season,  on 
any  matter  committed  to  them,  they  may  be  instructed  to 
report  at  a  certain  time,  or  they  muy,  on  motion,  be  dis- 
charged from  the  further  consideration  of  the  subject,  and 
then  the  mailer  may  be  taken  up  in  the  Society. 


OF    COMMITTEES.  61 

proposed  to  be  examined,  may  be  of  the 
committee,  but  none  who  speak  directly 
against  the  whole  matter.  "  For,"  as  Hat- 
sell  justly  remarks,  "  he  that  would  totally 
destroy  will  not  amend  it.  The  child  is 
not  to  be  put  to  a  nurse  who  cares  not  for  it." 
It  is  therefore  a  constant  rule  that  no  man  is 
to  be  employed  in  any  matter  who  has  de- 
clared himself  against  it.  And  when  any 
member  who  is  against  the  bill,  hears  him- 
self named,  he  ought  to  ask  to  be  excused.* 

The  rules  of  Parliament  allow  any  mem- 
ber to  be  present  at  the  sittings  of  a  select 
committee,  but  he  cannot  vote,  and  must 
give  place  to  all  the  committee,  and  sit  below 
them. 

Standing  committees  are  those  which  con- 
tinue from  year  to  year  ;  Special  commit- 
tees are  raised  from  time  to  time,  and  are 
discharged,  on  motion,  when  they  have 
made  a  final  report. 


*  This  rule,  though  undoubtedly  a  good  one,  is  not  very 
closely  adhered  to,  either  in  Congress  or  m  our  State  Legis- 
lature. 


62  REPORTS    OF    COMMITTEES. 

REPORTS  OF  COMMITTEES. 

All  reports  of  committees  should  be  signed 
by  a  majority  of  the  members. 

Reports  of  committees  are  of  two  kinds. 
1.  They  may  contain  simply  a  statement  of 
facts,  reasoning  or  opinion,  and  without  re- 
commending definite  action.  Such  reports 
usually  conclude  with  a  resolution  to  dis- 
charge the  committee  from  the  further  con- 
sideration of  the  subject.  2.  They  may 
contain  an  argument  on  the  proposition  sub- 
mitted, and  recommend  definite  action.  Such 
reports  will  conclude  with  resolutions,  con- 
densing the  main  facts  or  reasoning,  and 
declaring  distinct  conclusions.  In  both  cases, 
the  resolutions  are  the  proper  objects  for  the 
action  of  the  meeting,  although  with  reports 
of  the  first  class,  it  is  not  uncommon  to 
adopt  them  formally, as  embracing  the  views 
of  the  whole  body. 

When  a  report  which  has  been  recom- 
mitted, is  reported  back  to  the  meeting  with 
amendments,  the  usual  course  is  to  read  the 
amendments,  and  take  the  question  on  them 
separately.  If  an  entire  new  draft  is  substi- 


REPORTS    OF    COMMITTEES.  63 

tuted,  it  is  customary  to  accept  the  new 
draft  as  a  substitute  for  the  original  paper, 
and  read  it  accordingly. 

The  Secretary  may  deliver  the  communi- 
cations and  resolutions  referred  to  a  commit- 
tee, to  any  member  of  the  committee,  but  it 
is  usual  to  deliver  them  to  him  who  is  first 
named. 

When  a  subject  is  referred  to  a  commit- 
tee, with  particular  instructions,  the  commit- 
tee, of  course,  are  required  to  obey  the  in- 
structions, and  make  their  report  accordingly. 
In  other  cases,  the  committee  have  full  power 
over  the  subject  committed  to  their  consider- 
ation, and  can  make  such  report  as  they 
think  proper. 

From  the  Journal  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Re- 
presentatives,  March  4,  1843. 

The  House  resumed  the  consideration  of 
the  motion  to  print  one  thousand  copies  of 
the  report  of  the  majority,  in  connection 
with  the  report  of  the  minority  of  the  com- 
mittee, on  the  subject  of  preferring  articles  of 
impeachment  against  the  Governor  of  this 
Commonwealth. 

And  the  question  recurring  "  Will  the 
7* 


64  REPORTS    OF    COMMITTEES. 

House  agree  to  the  motion  ?"  A  motion 
was  made  by  Mr.  Sherwood,  to  postpone  the 
further  consideration  of  the  motion,  together 
with  the  subject,  indefinitely.  And  on  the 
question  "  Will  the  House  agree  to  the  mo- 
tion ?"  Mr.  James  put  the  question  to  the 
chair,  "  Whether  that  part  of  the  report 
which  relates  to  « Morrow  B.  Lowry,'  is  in 
order  ?" 

The  Speaker  decided  that  the  minority  of 
the  committee,  appointed  to  examine  the 
subject  of  the  impeachment  of  David  R. 
Porter,  Governor  of  this  Commonwealth,  in 
their  report  to  this  House,  in  alluding  to  a 
report  made  last  session  by  the  gentleman 
from  Crawford,  calls  that  gentleman  by 
name,  which  part  of  the  said  report  the 
Speaker  decided  is  not  in  order,  and  is  un. 
parliamentary  ;  and  that  it  is  a  matter  of  no 
difference,  whether  the  gentleman  from 
Crawford  was  acting  in  the  capacity  of  a 
legislator,  either  during  the  past  or  present 
session. 

From  this  decision  Mr.  Morris  and  Mr. 
Hinchman  appealed  to  the  House,  and  on 
the  question,  "  Is  the  decision  of  the  Speak- 
er correct  ?"  the  yeas  and  nays  were  re- 
quired by  Mr.  Kennedy,  of  Beaver,  and 
Mr.  Sherwood,  and  were — yeas  f52,  nays 
30.  So  tho  question  was  determined  in  the 
affirmative. 


COMMITTEE    OF    THE    WHOLE.  65 

OF  A  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  WHOLE. 

Going  into  a  committee  of  the  whole  is  a 
matter  of  almost  daily  occurrence  in  all 
Legislative  bodies.  The  leading  advan- 
tages of  so  doing  are,  that  the  members  may 
speak  oftener  than  twice;  that  the  debate 
cannot  be  stopped  by  the  previous  question  ; 
and  that  much  labor  is  saved  to  the  clerk,* 
who  is  not  obliged  to  insert  the  amendments 
offered  in  committee  upon  the  journal. 

The  mode  is  as  follows.  A  motion  is 
made  and  seconded,  "  that  the  Society  re- 
solve itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole, 
for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  resolution  re- 
lating to ,"  naming  the  subject.  The  Pre- 
sident puts  the  question,  and  if  it  prevails,  he 
will  call  some  member  to  the  chair,  or  the 
members  may  themselves  appoint  a  Chairman. 

The  President  will  then  vacate  the  chair, 
which  will  be  taken  by  the  Chairman — who 
will  say,  "  the  Committee  of  the  whole  have 
referred  to  them  the  resolution  relating  to 
;  it  will  be  read."  And  after  being  read 


*  Iu  Committee  of  the  Whole,  the  Secretary  of  the  Socie- 
ty continues  to  act  as  clerk. 


66  COMMITTEE    OF    THE    WHOLE. 

by  the  Secretary,  he  will  say,  "  the  resolution 
is  before  the  committee,"  which  announce- 
ment opens  the  subject  for  discussion. 

The  rules  and  proceedings  observed  in  the 
Society,  are  to  be  observed,  as  far  as  practi- 
cable, in  committee  of  the  whole.  Neither 
the  yeas  and  nays,  nor  the  previous  question, 
can,  however,  be  called,  nor  can  an  appeal 
from  the  decision  of  the  chair  be  taken — the 
power  of  the  Chairman,  on  points  of  order, 
being  absolute.  A  quorum  in  committee  is 
the  same  as  a  quorum  in  the  Society,  and  if 
the  Chairman  finds,  at  any  time,  no  quorum 
present,  the  committee  must  immediately 
rise,  and  report  the  fact  to  the  Society. 

When  the  lower  house  of  Congress  is 
resolved  into  committee  of  the  whole,  no 
member  is  allowed  to  speak  more  than  once, 
until  every  member  choosing  to  speak  shall 
have  spoken.  This  rule  does  not  prevail  in 
the  Legislature  of  this  state,  where  a  member 
may  speak  as  often  as  he  can  obtain  the  floor. 

When  the  committee  have  gone  through 
the  resolution  or  resolutions  referred  to 
them,  the  Chairman  will  say,  "  the  resolu- 
tion is  gone  through ;  the  committee  will 


COMMITTEE    OF   THE    WHOLE.  67 

rise,"  whereupon  the  Chairman  will  leave 
the  chair,  and  the  President  resume  his 
seat.  The  Chairman  should  then  proceed 
to  his  seat  on  the  floor,  and,  addressing 
the  President,  say,  "  The  committee  of  the 
whole  have  had  under  consideration  the  re- 
solution relating  to ,  and  have  instructed 

me  to  report  the  same  with  certain  amend- 
ments," or  "  without  amendment,"  or  "  nega- 
tived," as  the  case  may  be.  The  President 
repeats  this  report,  and  says  :  "  the  resolu- 
tion is  before  the  meeting.  In  case  the  re- 
solution has  been  negatived  in  committee  of 
the  whole,  he  will  say :  "  will  the  meeting 
agree  to  the  report  of  the  committee  ?  " 

When  a  committee  wish  to  rise  before 
they  have  gone  through  with  their  business, 
they  can  do  so  upon  a  motion  to  that  effect 
being  seconded  and  carried  — whereupon  the 
Chairman  will  report  "  progress,  and  ask 
leave  to  sit  again."  If  leave  is  granted,  the 
time  is  named ;  and  to  kill  a  bill  effectually, 
the  members  sometimes  name  a  day  beyond 
the  session  ;*  if  refused,  the  effect  is  to  bring 

*  Another  way  to  kill  a  bill  is,  to  postpone  the  motion  for 
agreeing  to  the  report  of  a  committee. 


68  COMMITTEE    OF   THE    WHOLE. 

up  the  resolution  at  once  before  the  Society. 
This  course  is  very  often  pursued  in  our  Le- 
gislature, when  the  friends  of  a  bill  are  confi- 
dent that  they  have  a  majority  in  its  favor. 

Amendments  made  in  committee  of  the 
whole,  may  be  stricken  out  of  the  Society, 
and  matters  stricken  out  in  committee,  may 
be  re-inserted  when  the  subject  is  under  dis- 
cussion before  the  meeting. 

In  committee  of  the  whole,  the  President 
of  the  Society  has  a  right  to  participate  in 
the  debate  and  proceedings,  as  if  he  were  a 
private  member. 

The  amendments  made  in  committee  of 
the  whole  are  to  be  incorporated  with  the  re- 
solution, and  so  reported. 

Suppose  several  resolutions  are  submitted 
to  the  committee  of  the  whole,  and  the  first 
is  negatived.  If  the  others  are  all  dependant 
on  the  first,  the  committee  must  rise,  and 
report  the  first  resolution  negatived. 

In  a  committee  of  the  whole  in  Parlia- 
ment, when  a  vote  is  once  passed,  it  cannot 
be  altered  by  the  committee,  their  votes  being 
binding  on  themselves.  This  rule  excludes 
the  motion  to  reconsider  from  committee  of 


PRIVILEGED    QUESTIONS.  69 

the  whole.  On  taking  up  a  bill  reported  by 
a  committee  of  the  whole,  with  amendments, 
the  practice  in  Parliament  is,  for  the  clerk  to 
read  the  amendments  only.  The  Speaker 
then  puts  the  question  on  the  first  amend- 
ment, and  so  until  the  whole  are  adopted  or 
rejected.  When  the  amendments  of  the  com- 
mittee are  gone  through  with,  other  amend- 
ments may  be  proposed  in  the  house. 


OF  PRIVILEGED  QUESTIONS. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  question  first  moved 
and  seconded,  shall  be  put  first.  But  this 
rule  gives  way  to  what  are  called  privileged 
questions.  The  usage  in  our  State  Legisla- 
ture on  this  subject  is,  that  no  business  reg- 
ularly before  the  house  shall  be  interrupted 
except  by  a  motion — 

To  adjourn, 

For  the  previous  question, 

For  postponement, 

For  commitment,  or 

For  amendment. 

A  motion  for  postponement  precludes  com- 
mitment ;  a  motion  for  commitment  pre- 


70  PKIVILEGED    QUESTIONS. 

eludes  amendment,  or  decision  on  the  original 
resolution. 

In  Congress,  the  motion  to  lie  on  the  table 
is  also  a  privileged  question,  and  takes  pre- 
cedence of  the  previous  question.  The  rule 
is,  that  when  a  question  is  under  discussion, 
no  motion  shall  be  received  but  to  adjourn, 
to  lie  on  the  table,  for  the  previous  question, 
to  postpone  to  a  day  certain,  to  commit  01 
amend,  to  postpone  indefinitely ;  which  sev- 
eral motions  have  precedence  in  the  order 
in  which  they  are  arranged.  No  motion  to 
postpone  to  a  day  certain,  to  commit,  or  to 
postpone  indefinitely,  being  decided  in  the 
negative,  is  again  allowed  on  the  same  day, 
and  at  the  same  stage  in  the  bill  or  proposi- 
tion. A  motion  to  strike  out  the  enacting 
words  of  a  bill,  has  precedence  of  a  motion 
to  amend,  and,  if  carried,  is  considered 
equivalent  to  its  rejection. 

The  operation  of  privileged  questions  is 
as  follows.  1.  If  a  proposition  before  the 
meeting  is  deemed  useless  or  inexpedient, 
the  majority  may  get  rid  of  it  by  the  pre- 
vious question,  or  by  indefinite  postpone- 
ment. 2.  If  the  members  desire  further 


PRIVILEGED    QUESTIONS.  71 

time  to  reflect  on  a  resolution,  or  have  more 
important  matters  requiring  immediate  at- 
tention, the  usual  motions  are  to  postpone 
for  the  present,  or  to  postpone  to  a  day  cer- 
tain. 3.  When  a  proposition  is  regarded 
with  favor,  but  is  defective  in  its  details,  it 
may  be  committed  to  a  committee  with  in- 
structions, or  if  the  defects  can  be  reached 
by  amendments,  the  simple  motion  to  amend 
is  usually  resorted  to. 

Besides  these  motions,  which,  for  the  time 
being,  take  the  place  of  the  main  question, 
incidental  questions  frequently  arise  and  de- 
lay a  vote  on  the  original  proposition.  These 
are  questions  concerning  the  presence  of  an 
individual  not  belonging  to  the  meeting,  a 
quarrel  between  two  members,  questions  of 
order,  motions  for  the  reading  of  papers, 
suspending  a  rule,  &c.  When  these  mat- 
ters are  settled,  the  question  interrupted  is 
resumed  at  the  point  where  it  was  sus- 
pended.* 

*  It  sometimes  happens  that  questions  multiply  and  as- 
sume a  complicated  form.  1,  A  resolution  may  be  before 
the  meeting,  and  2,  a  motion  made  to  amend.  3,  A 
motion  is  made  to  commit.  4,  While  these  motions  are 
pending,  a  question  of  order  arises  in  debate,  which  gives 
8 


72  OF    ADJOURNMENT. 

OF  ADJOURNMENT. 

The  simple  motion  to  adjourn,  being  a 
privilege^  question,  cannot  be  amended,  and 
must  be  decided  without  debate. 

A  motion  to  adjourn  is  not  in  order,  1. 
When  a  member  is  speaking.  2.  When  a 
vote  is  being  taken  on  any  question.  3.  A 
motion  to  adjourn  being  negatived,  cannot  be 
renewed  until  some  other  proposition  is  made, 
or  other  business  transacted. 

Hatseli  says  : — "  A  motion  to  adjourn, 
simply,  cannot  be  amended,  as  by  adding  to 
a  particular  day,  but  must  be  put  simply, 
that  the  House  do  now  adjourn  ;  and  if  car- 
ried in  the  affirmative,  it  is  adjourned  to  the 
next  sitting  day,  unless  it  has  previously 
agreed  upon  a  resolution  that  at  its  rising  it 
will  adjourn  to  a  particular  day,  and  then  the 
House  is  adjourned  to  that  day." 

occasion,  5,  to  a  question  of  privilege,  and  this  leads,  6,  to  a 
motion  to  lie  on  the  table.  In  this  state  of  affairs,  Mr. 
Gushing  remarks,  that  the  course  of  proceeding  in  the  Mass- 
achusetts Legislature,  is  to  put  the  motion  to  lie  on  the  table 
first;  if  this  is  negatived,  the  question  of  privilege  is  then 
settled;  after  that  comes  the  question  of  order;  then  the 
question  of  commitment ;  if  that  is  negatived,  the  question  of 
amendment  is  taken,  and  lastly  the  main  question. 


OF    ADJOURNMENT.  73 

A  motion  to  adjourn  to  a  day  certain  is 
debatable,  and  may  be  amended  as  regards 
the  day  named.  If  a  question  is  put  for 
adjournment,  it  is  no  adjournment  until  the 
President  announces  it,  and  from  courtesy 
and  respect,  no  member  should  leave  his 
place  until  the  adjournment  is  formally  an- 
nounced. 

It  is  entirely  in  order,  according  to  Par- 
^iamentary  usage,  when  desirous  of  suspending 
business,  to  adjourn  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
resume  business,  on  a  simple  motion. 

Should  a  motion  to  adjourn  be  made  and 
carried,  during  the  consideration  of  a  resolu- 
tion or  proposition,  and  before  any  vote  is 
taken,  the  subject  before  the  Society  is  there- 
by removed,  and  it  will  not  stand  before  the 
next  stated  meeting,  as  a  matter  of  course,  as 
the  first  business  of  the  meeting,  but  its  place 
will  be  among  the  unfinished  business,  of 
which  it  will  be  the  first  in  order. 


From  the  Journal  of  the  U,  S.  House  of  Representa- 
tives, May  22,  1834. 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Clayton,  that 
the  House  do  adjourn,  and  the  question  being 
put,  it  was  decided  in  the  negative. 
7 


74  OF    ADJOURNMENT. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Mr.  Miller, 
that  the  further  consideration  of  the  subject 
matter  before  the  House  be  postponed  until 
Tuesday,  the  27th  inst.  And  after  debate 
thereon,  and  the  yeas  and  nays  being  de- 
manded, Mr.  Miller  withdrew  the  said  mo- 
tion. And  thereupon  moved  that  the  said 
report  do  lie  on  the  table.  And  the  yeas 
and  nays  being  again  demanded  on  the  ques- 
tion, Mr.  Miller  also  withdrew  that  motion. 
Whereupon,  it  being  half  past  4,  P.  M.,  Mr. 
McKinley  moved  that  the  House  do  adjourn ; 
when  an  inquiry  was  made  of  the  chair 
whether  that  motion  was  in  order,  as  no  ques- 
tion had  been  put  or  decided  since  the  House 
had  voted  on  a  motion  to  adjourn. 

The  speaker  decided  that  the  motion  was 
in  order,  and  would  be  entertained,  debate 
having  taken  place  on  a  motion  to  postpone, 
subsequent  to  the  decision  of  the  question  on 
the  motion  made  by  Mr.  Clayton  to  adjourn ; 
in  which  decision  the  House  acquiesced. 
And  the  question  was  then  put,  "  Will  the 
House  adjourn  ?"  and  passed  in  the  affirm- 
ative. 


From    the   Journal  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of 

Representatives,  Feb.  11,  1843. 
A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  James,  that 
the  House  do  adjourn  ;  and  on  the  question 
"  Will  the  House  agree  to  the  motion  ?"  the 


OF    ADJOURNMENT.  75 

yeas  and  nays  were  required  by  Mr.  Lowry 
and  Mr.  James,  and  were  as  follows  : — yeas 
13 — nays  71.  So  the  question  was  deter- 
mined in  the  negative. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Mr.  Good- 
win that  the  House  adjourn ;  and  on  the 
question  "  Will  the  House  agree  to  the  mo- 
tion ?"  the  yeas  and  nays  were  required  by 
Mr.  Goodwin  and  Mr.  Elwell,  and  were  as 
follows  : — yeas  19 — nays  61,  so  the  question 
was  determined  in  the  negative. 

A  motion  was  then  made  by  Mr.  James 
that  the  House  do  adjourn.  The  Speaker 
refused  to  entertain  the  motion  to  adjourn — 
there  having  been  two  consecutive  motions 
to  adjourn,  and  no  business  of  the  House  in- 
tervening, nor  had  any  other  business  inter- 
vened at  the  time  the  motion  was  made. 

In  this  case  the  Speaker  was  clearly  wrong 
in  entertaining  the  second  motion  to  adjourn, 
such  a  course  being  directly  contrary  to  Par- 
liamentary and  Congressional  usage,  as  well 
as  against  the  ordinary  practice  in  all  State 
Legislatures.  If,  however,  there  is  no  busi- 
ness which  can  be  called  up,  as  is  the  case 
sometimes  in  the  commencement  of  a  ses- 
sion, two  consecutive  motions  to  adjourn 

may  be  received  as  a  matter  of  convenience. 

8* 


76          MOTION    TO    LIE    ON    THE    TABLE. 


OF    THE    MOTION    TO    LIE    ON    THE 
TABLE. 

This  motion  is  not  recognised  in  our  State 
Legislature,  the  equivalent  motion  being  "  to 
postpone  for  the  present."  I  insert  it  here, 
because  it  is  used  in  Congress,  and  in  the 
Legislative  bodies  in  the  Eastern  States,  and 
because  its  use  may  sometimes  be  attended 
with  advantage. 

The  motion  to  lie  on  the  table  is  not  de- 
batable, and  being  a  privileged  one.  cannot 
be  amended.  It  may  sometimes  be  used  in- 
stead of  calling  the  previous  question,  and 
sometimes  in  place  of  indefinite  postpone- 
ment. 

In  Congress,  this  motion  has  precedence 
of  all  motions  excepting  a  motion  to  adjourn. 
This  is  one  of  the  modes  of  giving  a  death- 
blow to  a  proposition — it  is  a  sort  of  previous 
question.  The  subject,  it  is  true,  may  be 
brought  up  again,  but  this  seldom  happens,  as 
the  same  majority  that  adopts  the  motion  to 
lie  on  the  table,  can  prevent  the  matter  from 
being  again  brought  up. 


MOTION    TO    COMMIT.  77 


OF  THE   MOTION   TO  COMMIT. 

The  motion  to  commit  is  sometimes  made 
instead  of  the  motion  for  indefinite  postpone- 
ment, because  by  referring  a  matter  to  a  com- 
mittee, or  if  it  be  a  resolution  from  a  commit- 
tee, by  re-committing  it,  the  proposition  may 
be  so  amended  as  to  preclude  the  necessity 
of  indefinite  postponement. 

This  motion,  however,  may  be  amended 
by  substituting  another  committee  for  that 
named  ;  by  enlarging  or  diminishing  the  num- 
ber of  the  committee,  as  originally  proposed  ; 
or  by  particular  instructions  to  the  committee, 
requiring  the  introduction  of  specified  amend- 
ments. 

If  the  motion  to  commit,  or  to  recommit, 
as  the  case  may  be,  is  decided  affirmatively, 
the  effect  is  to  remove  the  whole  business, 
for  the  time  being,  from  before  the  Society. 
If  decided  negatively,  the  main  question 
which  it  was  proposed  to  commit,  may  be 
postponed  or  amended,  or  suppressed  by 
calling  the  previous  question. 
7* 


78  OF    AMENDMENTS. 

OF  AMENDMENTS. 

The  fourth  joint  rule  of  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives  of  this  State,  de- 
clares that  no  motion  or  proposition,  on  a 
subject  different  from  that  under  considera- 
tion, shall  be  admitted  under  color  of  an 
amendment.  The  same  regulation  prevails 
in  Congress,  and  should  certainly  be  adopted 
in  all  Societies,  although  contrary  to  Parlia- 
mentary practice. 

In  Parliament,  amendments  may  be  made 
so  as  totally  to  alter  the  nature  of  the  original 
proposition,  and,  to  get  rid  of  a  resolution,  the 
expedient  is  frequently  resorted  to  of  making 
it  bear,  by  amendments,  a  sense  different 
from  that  intended  by  the  movers,  so  that 
they  vote  against  it  themselves.  This  practice 
prevails  also  in  the  Legislature  of  New  York, 
and  in  that  of  Massachusetts. 

When  it  is  moved  to  amend,  by  striking 
out  certain  words,  and  inserting  others,  the 
manner  of  stating  the  question  is  first  to  read 
the  whole  passage  to  be  amended,  as  it  stands 
before  the  meeting,  then  the  words  proposed 
to  be  stricken  out,  next  those  to  be  inserted, 


OF    AMENDMENTS.  79 

and  lastly  the  whole  passage  as  it  will  be 
when  amended. 

When  a  resolution  is  pending,  it  is  entirely 
in  order  to  move  to  strike  out  all  after  the 
word  Resolved,  and  insert  a  phraseology  en- 
tirely different,  provided  the  matter  proposed 
to  be  inserted  relates  to  the  same  subject  as 
that  proposed  to  be  stricken  out. 

A  suggestion  to  amend  may  be  received 
as  a  modification  by  the  mover,  even  after  a 
resolution  has  been  amended  by  the  mem- 
bers, provided  the  modification  does  not 
affect  the  previous  amendment. 

An  amendment  to  an  amendment  may  be 
moved,  but  it  is  not  in  order  to  amend  an 
amendment  to  an  amendment,  as  this  would 
certainly  lead  to  embarrassment.  In  this 
case  the  question  is  first  taken  on  the  amend- 
ment to  the  amendment,  and  afterwards  on 
the  amendment,  and  then  on  the  resolution 
as  amended. 

In  our  State  Legislature,  when  a  bill  has 
passed  second  reading,  it  may  be  amended 
on  third  reading,  by  unanimous  consent. 
Sometimes,  however,  it  is  moved  to  go  into 
Committee  of  the  Whole,  for  the  purpose  of 


80  OF   AMENDMENTS. 

general  amendment,  and  if  this  motion  pre- 
vails, the  whole  matter  is  open  to  amend 
ment.  If  the  House,  however,  go  into  com- 
mittee of  the  whole  for  a  special  purpose, 
that  of  striking  out  or  amending  a  particular 
section,  the  moment  that  is  done,  the  com- 
mittee must  rise. 

If  it  be  desirable  to  amend  a  resolution, 
after  it  has  finally  passed,  it  may  be  done  if 
the  proposition  be  sanctioned  by  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  members,  or,  if  not,  by 
effecting  a  reconsideration. 

The  general  usage  in  all  Legislative  bodies, 
is,  that  when  an  amendment  is  moved,  a 
member  who  has  spoken  to  the  main  ques- 
tion, may  speak  again  to  the  amendment, 
and,  indeed,  on  every  amendment  offered. 

A  motion  to  amend  may  be  superseded  by 
a  motion  to  postpone  to  a  day  certain,  so 
that  an  amendment  and  postponement  com- 
peting, the  latter  is  to  be  put  first.  A  motion 
to  amend  may  also  be  superseded  by  a  mo- 
tion to  commit. 

Parliamentary  usage  declares  that  "  when 
it  is  proposed  to  amend  by  inserting  a  para- 
graph, or  part  of  one,  the  friends  of  the  pa- 


OF   AMENDMENTS.  81 

ragraph  may  make  it  as  perfect  as  they  can 
by  amendments,  before  the  question  is  put 
on  inserting  it.  If  it  be  received,  it  cannot 
be  amended  afterwards,  in  the  same  stage, 
because  the  House  has,  on  a  vote,  agreed  to 
it  in  that  form.* 

On  the  same  point  Mr.  Gushing  declares  : 
"  Whatever  is  agreed  to  by  the  assembly, 
on  a  vote,  either  adopting  or  rejecting  a  pro- 
posed amendment,  cannot  be  afterwards  al- 
tered or  amended.  Thus,  if  a  proposition 
consist  of  A  B,  and  it  is  moved  to  insert  C ; 
if  the  amendment  prevail,  C  cannot  be  after- 
wards amended,  because  it  has  been  agreed 
to  in  that  form  ;  and,  so,  if  it  is  moved  to 
strike  out  B,  and  the  amendment  is  rejected, 
B  cannot  afterwards  be  amended,  because  a 
vote  against  striking  it  out  is  equivalent  to  a 
vote  agreeing  to  it  as  it  stands." 

In   the  House  of  Representatives  of  this 

*  In  like  manner,  if  it  is  proposed  to  amend  by  striking 
Out  a  paragraph,  the  friends  of  the  paragraph  are  first  to 
make  it  as  perfect  as  they  can  by  amendments,  before  the 
question  is  put  for  striking  it  out.  If  on  the  question  it  be 
retained,  it  cannot  be  amended  afterwards  :  because  a  vote 
against  striking  out  is  equivalent  to  a  vote  agreeing  to  it  in 
that  form.— JEFFERSON'S  MANUAL. 


82  OF    AMENDMENTS. 

State,  April  10th,  1846,  during  the  pendency 
of  the  first  section  of  the  bill  granting  to  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Road  Company  the 
Right  of  Way  to  Pittsburg,  a  motion  was 
made  by  Mr.  McFarland,  to  amend  by  add- 
ing certain  words  as  a  proviso. 

Mr.  Kunkle  moved  to  amend  the  amend- 
ment by  striking  out  all  the  words  there 
stated,  and  inserting  other  words,  which  was 
agreed  to. 

The  question  recurring  on  the  amendment 
as  amended,  it  was  agreed  to,  and  thus  be- 
came incorporated  as  part  of  the  section. 

Mr.  Burrel  then  moved  further  to  amend, 
by  inserting  certain  words  in  the  paragraph 
just  adopted  as  Mr.  Kunkle's  amendment, 
but  the  Speaker,  (Mr.  Patterson,  of  Arm- 
strong,) decided  the  amendment  out  of  order, 
declaring  that  under  the  rule  above  quoted 
it  was  not  in  the  power  of  the  House  to 
amend  words  formally  agreed  to. 

From  this  decision  an  appeal  was  taken 
by  Mr.  Burrel  and  Mr.  Edie,  which  was 
debated  for  some  time  and  then  withdrawn, 
so  that  the  decision  of  the  Speaker  was  con- 
curred in. 


The  usual  forms  of  amendments,  are  to 
strike  out  certain  words,  to  insert  or  add 
certain  words,  or,  to  strike  out  and  insert. 


OF    AMENDMENTS.  83 

While  the  amendment  is  pending,  that  also 
is  susceptible  of  amendment,  but  if  the 
amendment  to  the  amendment  is  objection- 
able, the  only  way  of  reaching  the  matter  is 
to  vote  that  down,  and  then,  by  another  pro- 
position, endeavour  to  shape  the  amendment 
to  the  form  desired. 

If  it  be  proposed  to  amend,  by  striking  out 
certain  words,  it  may  be  moved  as  an  amend- 
ment to  this  amendment,  to  strike  out  a  part 
of  the  words  proposed  to  be  stricken  out  by 
the  amendment,  which  is  equivalent  to  re- 
taining them  in  the  resolution,  should  the 
amendment  be  agreed  to. 

So,  if  an  amendment  proposes  to  strike 
out  certain  words,  and  it  be  moved  as  an 
amendment  to  the  amendment  to  strike  out 
certain  words  from  among  those  proposed  to 
be  stricken  out  by  the  amendment,  and  the 
amendment  to  the  amendment  should  pre- 
vail, and  then  the  amendment  itself  be  ne- 
gatived, the  effect  of  the  vote  is,  that  the 
words  proposed  to  be  stricken  out  by  the 
amendment  to  the  amendment,  no  longer 
remain  as  a  part  of  the  resolution. 

In  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Represen- 
9 


84  OF    AMENDMENTS. 

tatives,  March  19th,  1846,  during  the  pen- 
dency of  one  of  the  sections  of  the  bill  en- 
titled "  An  Act  to  incorporate  the  Pennsylvania 
Rail-Road  Company,"  Mr.  Magehan  moved 
to  amend  by  striking  out  the  latter  half  of  the 
section.  Mr.  Cochran  moved  to  amend  the 
amendment  by  striking  out  certain  words  in 
that  portion  of  the  section  proposed  to  be 
stricken  out  by  Mr.  Magehan,  which  amend- 
ment to  the  amendment  was  agreed  to,  and 
said  words  were  stricken  out. 

The  question  was  then  taken  on  the  amend- 
ment proposed  by  Mr.  Magehan,  as  amend- 
ed, and  decided  in  the  negative. 

Whereupon  a  question  of  order  was  raised, 
whether  the  words  stricken  out  by  the  amend- 
ment to  the  amendment,  offered  by  Mr. 
Cochran,  were  still  a  part  of  the  section,  and 
the  Speaker,  (Mr.  Patterson,  of  Armstrong,) 
decided  they  were  not,  and  that  the  section 
stood  before  the  House  with  those  words 
stricken  out.  In  this  decision  the  House 
concurred,  without  an  appeal. 

An  amendment  to  strike  out  or  to  insert, 
or  to  strike  out  and  insert  certain  words, 
being  negatived,  cannot  be  renewed  in  the 
same  form. 

If  an  amendment  be  proposed  and  agreed 
to,  to  strike  out  certain  words,  or  to  insert 


OF    AMENDMENTS.  85 

certain  words,  it  cannot  be  afterwards  moved 
to  insert  or  to  strike  out  the  same  words, 
but  it  may  be  moved  to  strike  out  or  insert 
the  same  words  in  connection  with  others, 
provided  the  proposed  striking  out  or  insertion 
makes  a  new  proposition. 


From  the   Journal  of  the   Pennsylvania  House  of 
Representatives,  Feb.    11,  1843. 

Pending  the  consideration  of  the  bill  No. 
97,  entitled  "  An  Act  to  reduce  the  number 
and  expenses  of  the  Board  of  Canal  Com- 
missioners,"  and  during  the  consideration  of 
an  amendment,  a  motion  was  made  by  Mr. 
Lowry,  to  amend  the  amendment,  by  adding 
thereto  the  following  words  : 

"  The  board  elected  under  this  act  shall 
not  remove  any  officers  appointed  by  the  old 
board,  without  good  and  sufficient  cause,  a 
specification  of  which  they  shall  enter  upon 
the  journal  of  their  proceedings. 

"  And  the  members  of  the  present  and 
future  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives, 
shall  receive  but  two  dollars  per  day,  for 
every  day  actually  in  the  service  of  the 
State." 

On  the  question,  "  Will  the  House  agree 
so  to  amend?"  a  division  of  the  question 


86  OP    AMENDMENTS. 

was  called  for  by  Mr.  McDaniel,  to  end 
with  the  word  "  proceedings."  And  on  the 
question,  "  Will  the  House  agree  to  the  first 
division  ?"  the  yeas  and  nays  were  required 
by  Mr.  Lowry  and  Mr.  Hahn,  and  were  as 
follow  : — yeas  31,  nays  60  ;  so  the  question 
was  determined  in  the  negative. 

And  on  the  question,  "  Will  the  House 
agree  to  the  second  division  of  the  amend- 
ment ?"  viz  : 

"  And  the  members  of  the  present  and  fu- 
ture Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
shall  receive  but  two  dollars  per  day,  for  every 
day  actually  in  the  service  of  the  State," 

A  question  arose,  whether  the  said  divi- 
sion of  the  amendment  was  in  order,  under 
the  fourth  joint  rule  of  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives.  Whereupon  the  Speaker 
decided  the  second  division  of  the  said 
amendment  "  not  in  order."  From  which 
decision  Mr.  Lowry  appealed,  and  on  the 
question,  "  Is  the  decision  of  the  Speaker 
correct  ?"  it  was  determined  in  the  affirmative. 


OF    DEBATE.  87 

OF  DEBATE. 

While  the  President  is  putting  a  question 
or  addressing  the  meeting,*  or  while  a  mem- 
ber is  speaking,  none  of  the  members  should 
move  from  their  seats,  or  entertain  private 
discourse ;  nor  while  a  member  is  speaking 
should  any  pass  between  him  and  the  Presi- 
dent. 

If  any  member,  in  speaking,  transgress 
the  rules  of  the  Society,  wander  from  the 
subject  under  discussion,  or  indulge  in  per- 
sonalities, the  President  should,  or  any  mem- 
ber may,  through  the  President,  call  him  to 
order.  The  member  so  called  to  order  must 
immediately  cease  speaking,  unless  per* 
mitted  to  explain  ;  the  meeting  may,  if  ap* 
pealed  to,  decide  in  the  case,  but  without 
debate.  If  there  be  no  appeal,  the  decision 
of  the  President  shall  be  submitted  to,  and 

*  In  regard  to  the  right  of  a  presiding  officer  to  speak, 
Hatsell  says :—"  But  if  the  Speaker  rises  to  speak,  the  mem- 
ber standing  up,  ought  to  sit  down,  that  he  may  be  first 
heard.  Nevertheless,  though  the  Speaker  may  of  right  speak 
to  matters  of  order,  and  be  first  heard,  he  is  restrained  from 
speaking  on  any  other  subject,  except  where  the  House  have 
occasion  for  facts  within  his  knowledge— then  he  may,  with 
their  leave,  state  the  matter  of  fact. 

9* 


88  OP    DEBATE. 

if  the  case  requires  it,  the  member  so  called  to 
order  shall  be  liable  to  the  censure  of  the  meet- 
ing. A  member  called  to  order,  if  the  decision 
of  the  President  be  that  he  is  out  of  order, 
loses  his  right  to  the  floor,  unless  the  consent 
of  the  meeting  is  obtained  for  him  to  proceed. 

No  member  may  speak  more  than  twice 
to  the  same  question  without  leave  of  the 
meeting.  In  Congress,  a  member  is  allowed 
to  speak  but  once,  until  every  member  wish- 
ing to  speak  on  the  subject,  has  spoken, 
when  he  may  speak  again. 

No  member,  when  speaking,  shall  be  in- 
terrupted, except  by  a  call  to  order,  or  by  a 
member  to  explain,*  or  by  a  motion  for  the 
previous  question.  A  member  who  obtains 
the  floor  in  order  to  explain,  must  confine 
himself  to  the  explanation.  If  he  go  into 
the  general  merits  of  the  subject,  he  is  out 
of  order. 

*  The  practice  in  the  Legislature  of  New  York,  and  in  that 
of  Massachusetts,  is  different  from  this  rule.  Gushing  says : 
—"It  is  sometimes  supposed  that,  because  a  member  has  a 
right  to  explain  himself,  he  therefore  has  a  right  to  interrupt 
another  member,  whilst  speaking,  in  order  to  make  the 
explanation.  But  this  is  a  mistake  ;  he  should  wait  until 
the  member  speaking  has  finished.  And  if  a  member,  on 
being  requested,  yields  the  floor  for  an  explanation,  he  re- 
linquishes it  altogether." 


OF    DEBATE.  89 

In  Legislative  bodies,  a  member,  in  debate, 
is  not  permitted  to  refer  to  another  member 
by  name ;  but  in  case  of  a  member  trans- 
gressing the  rules  of  the  body,  he  may  be 
named  by  the  Speaker,  and  by  him  only. 

In  Societies,  it  is  usual  for  a  member, 
when  he  wishes  to  refer  to  another  member, 
to  say,  the  gentleman  on  his  right,  or  his  left, 
or  the  gentleman  last  up,  or  last  but  one,  or 
the  gentleman  who  offered  the  resolution  or 
the  amendment,  or  by  using  some  other  simi- 
lar expression.  This  is  decidedly  the  pro- 
per usage. 

No  member,  in  speaking,  should  be  al- 
lowed to  indulge  in  language  personally 
offensive  to  any  member,  or  insulting  to  the 
meeting ;  nor  should  he  be  allowed  to  ques- 
tion the  motives  of  a  member,  or  use  disre- 
spectful terms  in  referring  to  the  proceedings 
of  a  former  meeting.  In  Parliamentary  prac- 
tice, the  consequences  of  a  measure  may  be 
reprobated  in  strong  terms,  but  to  arraign  the 
motives  of  those  who  propose  or  advocate  it, 
is  regarded  as  a  personality,  and  against 
order.  Hatsell  says  : — "  No  one  is  to  speak 
impertinently  or  beside  the  question,  super 
fluously  or  tediously." 


90  OF    DEBATE. 

In  Congress,  when  a  member  speaking  is 
called  to  order  by  another  member,  for  in- 
dulging in  improper  remarks,  the  exception- 
able words  are  required  to  be  taken  down  in 
writing,  that  the  Speaker  may  be  better 
enabled  to  judge  of  the  matter.  After  being 
read,  the  member  is  asked  if  he  spoke  those 
words.  The  words  taken  down  may  be 
amended  so  as  to  conform  to  what  the  House 
believe  to  be  the  words  spoken. 

No  motion  is  open  for  debate  until  it  has 
been  stated  from  the  chair. 

When  a  member  wishes  to  make  a  state- 
ment to  the  meeting,  not  involving  a  motion, 
he  should  ask  permission  of  the  President 
who  will  put  the  question,  "  Shall  the  mem- 
ber have  leave  ?"  If  no  objection  be  made, 
he  will  permit  the  member  to  proceed.  So 
also  when  a  member  has  spoken  twice,  and 
wishes  to  speak  a  third  time. 

According  to  Parliamentary  usage,  no 
member  may  be  present  when  a  bill  or  any 
other  business,  concerning  himself,  is  being 
debated ;  nor  is  any  member  allowed  to  speak 
to  the  merits  of  it,  until  the  member  interested 
withdraws. 

It  is  also  the  practice  in  Parliament   that 


OF    DEBATE.  91 

no  member  can  have  a  paper  read,  or  be 
allowed  to  read  it  himself,  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  House.  A  member  has  not  the 
right  even  to  read  his  own  speech,  committed 
to  writing,  without  leave.*  This  is  to  pre- 
vent an  abuse  of  time  ;  and  therefore  is  not 
refused,  but  where  that  is  intended. 

Noisy  and  disorderly  behaviour,  coughing 
or  stamping,  while  a  member  is  speaking, 
are  excessively  rude,  and  should  be  promptly 
suppressed  by  the  President.  Every  member 
has  a  right  to  be  heard,  while  he  speaks  in 
order,  and  to  the  question,  and  if  the  Pre- 
sident can  preserve  order  in  no  other  way,  he 
should  publicly  name  the  offenders.  "  Never- 
theless," says  Hatsell,  "  if  a  member  finds 
that  it  is  not  the  inclination  of  the  House  to 
hear  him,  and  that,  by  conversation,  or  any 
other  noise,  they  endeavour  to  drown  his 
voice,  it  is  his  most  prudent  way  to  submit  to 
the  pleasure  of  the  House,  and  sit  down ;  for 
it  scarcely  ever  happens  that  they  are  guilty 
of  this  piece  of  ill  manners,  without  a  suffi- 
cient reason,  or  inattentive  to  a  member  who 
says  any  thing  worth  hearing." 

*This  rule  I  have  never  known  to  be  enforced  here. 


92  OF   QUESTIONS    NOT    DEBATABLE. 

The  right  to  address  the  House  while 
sitting,  is  conceded  to  members  who  are 
sick,  in  Parliament. 


OF  QUESTIONS  NOT  DEBATABLE. 

According  to  Legislative  and  Parliamenta- 
ry practice,  the  motions  not  debatable  are — 

A  motion  to  adjourn. 

A  motion  to  lie  on  the  table,  when  a  privi- 
leged motion. 

A  motion  for  the  previous  question. 

A  motion  to  read  a  paper  or  document, 
pending  a  question. 

A  motion  to  reconsider. 

Speakers  of  Congress  have  decided,  and 
the  decisions  have  been  sustained  by  the 
House,  that  inasmuch  as  the  motion  to  lie  on 
the  table  is  not  debatable,  so  the  motion  to 
reconsider  must  be  taken  without  debate. 
4?  All  motions  to  take  up  particular  items  of 
business,  or  relating  to  priority  of  business, 
must  be  decided  without  debate. 

This  is  an  excellent  rule.     Without  it  the 
whole  time  of  a  meeting  might  be  consumed 


DIVIDING    A    QUESTION.  93 

by  gentlemen  in  endeavouring  to  get  up  a 
particular  item  of  business,  to  proceed  to  the 
consideration  of  which  the  majority  may  be 
averse. 

All  incidental  questions  of  order,  arising 
after  a  motion  is  made  for  the  previous  ques- 
tion, and  pending  such  motion,  must  be  de- 
cided, whether  on  appeal  or  otherwise,  with- 
out debate. 


DIVIDING  A  QUESTION. 

The  Legislative  rule  on  this  subject  is, 
that  any  member  may  call  for  a  division  of 
a  question,  which  shall  be  divided,  if  it 
comprehends  questions  so  distinct,  that  one 
being  taken  away, the  rest  may  stand  entire, 
for  the  decision  of  the  House.  A  motion  to 
strike  out  and  insert,  are  deemed  indivisible  ; 
but  a  motion  to  strike  out  being  lost,  pre- 
cludes neither  amendment,  nor  a  motion  to 
strike  out  and  insert. 

In  Parliament,  a  question  cannot  be  divided 
without  the  consent  of  the  House,  and  this  is 
doubtless  the  true  rule.  Hatsell,  an  able 


94  DIVIDING    A    QUESTION. 

writer  on  Parliamentary  precedents,  observes 
— "  For  who  is  to  decide  whether  a  question 
is  complicated  or  not?  where  it  is  compli- 
cated 1  into  how  many  propositions  it  may 
be  divided  1  The  fact  is,  that  the  only  mode 
of  separating  a  complicated  question,  is  by 
moving  amendments  to  it ;  and  these  must 
be  decided  by  the  House ;  unless  the  House 
orders  it  to  be  divided.  *  *  *  Whenever 
there  are  several  names  in  a  question,  they 
may  be  divided,  and  put  one  by  one." 

Mr.  Sutherland  favors  the  views  of  this 
author,  and  remarks  that  the  usage  in  Con- 
gress, which  is  the  same  as  that  in  our  Legis- 
lature, leads  to  embarrassment. 

Cushing's  Manual  says  :  "  It  is  sometimes 
asserted  that  it  is  the  right  of  every  indivi- 
dual member  to  have  a  complicated  question, 
(provided  it  is  susceptible  of  division,)  di- 
vided into  its  several  parts,  and  a  question 
put  separately  on  each,  on  his  mere  demand, 
and  without  any  motion  or  any  vote  of  the 
assembly  for  that  purpose.  But  this  is  a 
mistake ;  there  is  no  such  rule  of  parlia- 
mentary proceeding;  a  complicated  question 
can  only  be  separated  by  moving  amend- 


OF    THE    PREVIOUS    QUESTION.  95 

ments  to  it  in  the  usual  manner,  or  by  mov- 
ing for  a  division  of  it  in  the  manner  above 
stated." 

As  the  rule  now  is,  in  this  state,  when  a 
division  is  called  for,  the  Speaker  must 
decide  whether  the  question  is  susceptible  of 
division — from  which  decision  there  may  be, 
of  course,  an  appeal.  My  own  opinion  is, 
that  in  all  cases  the  Society  should  order  the 
division,  following  the  practice  in  Parlia- 
ment. 


OF  THE  PREVIOUS  QUESTION. 

This  motion  was  originally  introduced 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  in  1604,  by 
Sir  Harry  Vane,  and  was  designed  to  sup- 
press questions  which,  if  discussed,  might 
involve  in  censure  the  government,  or  per- 
sons high  in  authority.  It  has  been  incor- 
porated in  the  rules  of  the  lower  house  of 
Congress,  and  in  those  of  our  State  Legis- 
latures, but  in  this  country  it  is  generally 
used  for  the  purpose  of  winding  up  a  long 

debate,  or  an  unprofitable  discussion.     Some 
10 


96  OF    THE    PREVIOUS    QUESTION. 

times,  in  the  midst  of  high  party  excitement, 
it  is  applied  in  order  to  arrest  the  arguments 
of  political  opponents,  and  when  so  used  it  is 
not  unfrequently  termed  the  gag-law. 

Formerly,  in  Congress,  five  members 
were  sufficient  to  second  the  motion  for  the 
Previous  Question,  but  now  a  majority  of 
the  members  present  is  required.  In  our 
State  Senate,  four  members  are  necessary  ; 
in  the  House  of  Representatives,  twelve. 
Every  Society  should  have  the  number  de- 
termined, (which  number  will  be  greater  or 
less  according  to  the  strength  of  the  Soci- 
ety,) and  inserted  in  the  by-laws.* 

When  the  Previous  Question  is  moved 
and  seconded  by  the  requisite  number,  all 
further  amendments,  and  all  discussion  are 
precluded  at  once.  The  President  will  rise 
and  say,  "  The  Previous  Question  has  been 
moved  and  seconded — the  question  before 
the  meeting  is,  '  Shall  the  main  question  be 
now  put  V  "  And  on  this  question  it  is 

*  In  the  absence  of  any  by-law  on  the  subject,  one-fifth  of 
the  whole  number  of  members  present  should  be  required  to 
second  the  call.  The  names  of  those  who  call,  and  second 
the  call  for,  the  Previous  Question,  should  be  inserted  in  the 
minutes. 


OF    THE    PREVIOUS    QUESTION.  97 

usual  to  take  the  yeas  and  nays.  If  decided 
in  the  affirmative,  the  vote  will  then  be  taken 
on  the  amendments  pending,  in  their  order, 
and  then  on  the  main  question.* 

Formerly  the  rule  in  our  Legislature  was, 
that  when  the  main  question  was  ordered  to 
be  put,  all  pending  amendments  were  cut  off, 
and  this  is  still  the  Parliamentary  practice. 
The  course  now  pursued,  as  laid  down  above, 
is  a  decided  improvement  over  the  old  usage, 
and  should  certainly  be  adopted  in  Societies. 

In  the  Legislature  of  New  York,  as  well 
as  in  that  of  Massachusetts,  the  effect  of  a 
negative,  is  to  leave  the  main  question  and  the 
pending  amendments,  under  debate,  as  they 
were  before  the  Previous  Question  was  moved. 

On  a  motion  for  the  Previous  Question,  no| 
debate  is  allowable.  All  incidental  questions  | 
of  order,  arising  after  the  motion  is  made, ' 
must  be  decided  without  debate,  whether  on/ 
an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  chair,  orj 
otherwise.  The  Previous  Question  having 


*  What  the  "  Main  Question"  will  be,  will  depend  upon 
circumstances.  If  a  resolution  be  under  debate,  with 
amendments  pending,  the  "main  question"  will  be  on  the 
adoption  of  the  resolution. 


98  OF    POSTPONEMENT. 

been  moved  and  seconded,  cannot  be  with- 
drawn, except  by  consent  of  the  majority, 
nor  can  it  be  superseded  by  any  other  mo- 
tion, excepting  a  motion  to  adjourn. 


OF  POSTPONEMENT. 

Motions  to  postpone  are  of  two  kinds — a 
motion  to  postpone  for  the  present,  and  a  mo- 
tion to  postpone  indefinitely. 

A  motion  to  postpone  "  for  the  present," 
may  be  amended,  by  fixing  a  definite  lime, 
or  it  may  be  amended  so  as  to  read  indefi- 
nitely. Where  different  times  are  named, 
the  Legislative  rule  is  to  put  the  question  on 
the  most  distant  day  first. 

The  motion  to  postpone  indefinitely  can- 
not be  amended,  nor  superseded  by  a  motion 
to  commit,  or  to  amend  the  original  proposi- 
tion, but  must  first  be  decided.  If  decided 
affirmatively,  the  proposition  is  finally  dis- 
posed of;  if  negatively,  the  motion  to  com- 
mit, or  to  amend,  may  then  be  received. 

In  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  when 


OF    MOTIONS    TO    RECONSIDER.  99 

a  question  is  postponed  indefinitely,  it  can- 
not be  acted  upon  again  during  the  session. 
The  usual  effect  of  this  motion,  in  all  Legis- 
lative bodies,  is  to  make  a  final  disposition 
of  the  subject  to  which  it  is  applied.  The 
same  proposition,  however,  is  sometimes  re- 
introduced  in  a  different  shape. 


OF  MOTIONS  TO  RECONSIDER. 

In  Congress,  motions  to  reconsider  are  in 
order  on  the  same  day,  or  the  day  after,  the 
passage  of  a  motion,  proposition  or  bill. 
In  our  State  Legislature  the  time  is  extended 
to  the  six  following  days,  exclusive  of  Sab- 
bath. In  the  U.  S.  Senate,  one  of  the  rules 
is,  that  "  no  motion  for  the  reconsideration 
of  any  vote,  shall  be  in  order  after  a  bill,  reso- 
lution, message,  report,  amendment,  or  mo- 
tion upon  which  the  vote  was  taken,  shall  have 
gone  out  of  the  possession  of  the  Senate." 

In  Societies  it  is  not  usual  to  extend  the 

privilege  of   this   motion   beyond   the   next 

meeting,  and  this  extension  is,  in  some  cases, 

too  long.     If  the  matter  proposed  to  be  re- 

10* 


100  OF    MOTIONS    TO    RECONSIDER. 

considered,  has  passed  from  the  meeting,  the 
motion  to  reconsider  should  not  be  received. 
The  Senate  rule  should  be  applied  in  all 
such  cases.  When  the  subject  is  still  in  pos- 
session of  the  Society,  it  may  be  allowable 
to  entertain  the  motion  to  reconsider  at  the 
next  meeting  after  that  at  which  the  proposi- 
tion proposed  to  be  reconsidered  was  adopted. 
This  matter  should,  however,  be  provided  for 
in  the  by-laws. 

In  all  cases  the  motion  to  reconsider  must 
be  made  and  seconded  by  gentlemen  who 
voted  in  the  majority ;  or,  in  case  of  equal  di- 
vision, by  those  who  voted  in  the  negative. 

In  Congress,  it  not  unfrequently  happens, 
that  a  member  will  vote  for  a  proposition  to 
which  he  is  opposed,  and  which  he  finds  is 
about  to  carry,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing himself  eligible  to  move  a  reconsideration, 
which,  if  carried,  gives  him  another  oppor- 
tunity of  making  a  thrust  at  the  measure. 

During  the  limitation,  a  motion  to  recon- 
sider takes  precedence,in  Congress,of  all  mo- 
tions, excepting  the  motion  to  adjourn.  The 
motion  to  reconsider  is  sometimes  made,  and 
then  postponed,  and  the  only  way  to  avoid  this 


OP    MOTIONS    TO    RECONSIDER.          101 

inconvenience  is  to  force  a  vote,  by  calling  and 
sustaining  the  previous  question.* 

In  Parliament,  the  motion  to  reconsider  is 
not  allowable.  There,  a  question  once  car- 
ried, cannot  be  questioned  again,  and  stands 
as  the  judgment  of  the  House,  and  a  bill  once 
rejected,  cannot  be  brought  in  again,  in  the 
same  shape,  during  the  session.t  English  au- 
thors remark  that  various  expedients,  are  re- 
sorted to,  in  order  to  correct  the  effects  of  this 
rule,  such  as  passing  an  explanatory  act,  if 
any  thing  has  been  omitted  or  ill-expressed, 
or  an  act  to  enforce,  and  make  more  effectual 
an  act,  &c.,  or  an  act  to  rectify  mistakes  in 
an  act,  &c.  Or,  the  session  may  be  closed 
for  one,  two,  three,  or  more  days,  and  a  new 
one  commenced  ;  or  a  part  of  a  subject  may 
be  taken  up  by  another  bill,  in  a  different 
manner,  so  as  to  change  some  of  its  promi- 
nent features. 


*  In  this  case,  the  "  main  question"  will  be  the  motion 
to  reconsider. 

f  Hatsell  states  that  a  bill  to  tax  leather  being  once  de- 
feated in  the  House  of  Commons,  the  same  proposition  was 
subsequently  renewed  with  this  variation,  "  that  skins  and 
tanned  hides  should  be  charged,''  &c. 


102     MOTIONS  TO  RESCIND  AND  EXPUNGE. 

OF  THE  MOTIONS  TO  RESCIND  AND 
EXPUNGE. 

The  motion  to  rescind  is  a  very  common 
one  in  many  Societies,  and  in  too  many 
cases  is  rendered  necessary  by  hasty  and  ill- 
advised  action.  The  business  of  a  Society 
should  be  so  conducted  as  to  render  the 
necessity  for  its  use  of  rare  occurrence.  No 
motion  of  the  kind  is  employed  in  Parlia- 
ment. The  corresponding  motion  in  our 
State  Legislature  and  in  Congress,  is  the 
motion  to  repeal,  which  may  be  carried  by  a 
simple  majority. 

In  our  State  Legislature,  to  expunge  any 
matter  from  the  Journal,  requires  the  unani- 
mous vote  of  all  present,  as  appears  by  the 
subjoined  precedent. 

From  the  Journal  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Re- 
presentatives,  March  21,  1832. 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Waugh,  that 
the  amendments  to  the  bill  No.  458,  entitled 
41  An  Act  to  authorise  the  Governor  to  incor- 
porate a  company  for  making  a  turnpike  road 
from  the  borough  of  Somerset,  in  Somerset 
county,  to  the  canal  basin  at  Johnstown,  in 


OF   APPEALS.  103 

Cambria  county,  and  to  incorporate  the 
Evansburg  and  Pierpoint  turnpike  road  com- 
pany," made  in  the  house  on  second  reading 
yesterday,  except  those  upon  which  the  yeas 
and  nays  were  required,  be  expunged  from 
the  Journal. 

The  motion  being  opposed,  the  Speaker 
decided  that  under  the  constitution  of  the  state, 
and  the  uniform  practice  of  this  house,  the 
motion  could  riot  prevail  without  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  members  present. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Waugh  appealed  from 
the  decision  of  the  Speaker,  and  on  the  ques- 
tion, "  Is  the  Speaker  right  in  his  decision  ?" 
it  was  decided  in  the  affirmative — yeas  67, 
nays  22. 


OF  APPEALS. 

When  a  decision  is  made  by  the  Presi- 
dent, which  the  members  believe  to  be 
contrary  to  rule,  or  out  of  order,  any  two 
members  may  make  an  appeal,  and  the 
question  may  then  be  argued.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  President  should  leave 
the  chair.  He  may  do  so,  however,  if  he 
prefers,  and  may  appoint  a  Chairman  pro 
tempore,  or  ihe  meeting  may  appoint.  The 


104  OP    APPEALS. 

President  will  g;ive  his  reasons  for  the  decir 
sion,  but  neither  he  nor  any  other  member  is 
allowed  to  speak  more  than  once,  unless  by 
leave  of  the  meeting.  The  same  rule  pre- 
vails, when  a  question  of  order  is  submitted 
to  the  meeting  by  the  President. 

The  member  making  the  appeal,  is  required, 
in  all  cases,  to  reduce  the  appeal  to  writing, 
which  will  be  stated  from  the  Chair.  The 
appeal,  together  with  the  vote  upon  it,  should 
be  entered  on  the  minutes. 

On  an  appeal,  the  question  before  the  meet- 
ing is,  "  Shall  the  decision  of  the  Chair  be 
sustained  ?"  On  putting  the  question,  if  the 
vote  be  equal,  and  the  President  is  in  the 
chair,  he  may  give  the  casting  vote  sustaining 
his  decision.  A  precedent  for  this  is  found  in 
Congressional  proceedings. 

When  two  or  more  members  are  compet- 
ing for  the  floor,  and  the  President  gives  it 
to  one  who  was  not  the  first  to  rise,  his  de- 
cision may  be  appealed  from,  and  overruled 
by  the  meeting.  In  Parliamentary  practice 
any  decision  of  the  presiding  officer  may  be 
made  the  subject  of  appeal. 

In  Congress  it  is  in  order  to  move  that  an 


OF    MINORITIES.  105 

appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  Speaker  be 
laid  upon  the  table. 


OF  MINORITIES. 

The  rights  of  a  minority  are  best  protected 
by  a  rigid  adherence  to  rule.  As  it  is  always 
in  the  power  of  the  majority,  by  their  num- 
bers, to  stop  any  improper  measures  proposed 
by  their  opponents,  the  only  means  by  which 
the  minority  can  defend  themselves  against 
similar  attempts  from  those  in  power,  are 
the  forms  and  rules  adopted  by  the  Society 
— by  a  strict  adherence  to  which  the  weaker 
party  can  always  be  protected  from  those 
irregularities  and  abuses  which  the  wanton- 
ness of  power  is  but  too  often  apt  to  sug- 
gest to  large  and  successful  majorities.  So 
remarks  Hatsell. 

The  mode  of  introducing  a  report  from 
the  minority  of  a  committee,  is  explained  on 
page  38. 

In  the  Legislature  of  this  State,  it  not  un- 
frequently  happens  that  gentlemen  who  are 
favorable  to  the  general  tenor  of  a  bill,  are 


106  OF   MOTIONS. 

compelled  to  vote  against  it,  in  consequence 
of  some  objectionable  amendment  having  been 
incorporated  with  it,  during  the  discussion. 
In  such  cases,  in  order  that  the  constituents 
of  members  may  know  the  reasons  which  in- 
fluence their  votes,  it  is  usual  to  state  these 
reasons  in  writing,  and  the  rules  allow  them 
to  be  inserted  in  the  Journal. 

But  when  members  protest  against  any 
action  of  the  House,  in  the  adoption  of  a  re- 
solution or  proposition,  the  protest  cannot  be 
inserted  in  the  Journal  without  the  consent 
of  a  majority.  When  the  protest  is  couched 
in  respectful  language,  this  privilege  is  never 
denied,  unless  in  some  extraordinary  cases. 

A  subsisting  order  of  the  Society  being  ne- 
glected, any  member  has  the  right  to  insist 
on  its  being  attended  to  without  delay. 


OF  MOTIONS. 

It  is  usual  for  the  President,  after  a  mo- 
tion has  been  made,  seconded,  and  stated 
from  the  chair,  to  give  the  floor  to  the  mover, 
in  preference  to  others,  if  he  rises  to  speak. 


OF    MOTIONS.  107 

This  is  no  more  than  proper  courtesy,  and 
should  always  be  extended. 

A  motion  or  resolution  may  be  withdrawn 
by  the  mover  and  seconder,  at  any  time  be- 
fore an  amendment  or  decision.  This  is  the 
practice  in  the  Legislature  of  this  state,  but 
in  that  of  New  York,  and  the  Massachu- 
setts Assembly,  as  well  as  in  Parliament, 
when  a  motion  is  moved,  seconded,  and 
stated  from  the  chair,  it  becomes  the  proper- 
ty of  the  House,  and  cannot  be  withdrawn 
without  the  consent  of  the  members.  Our 
own  rule  on  this  subject  is  certainly  the  best, 
for  sometimes  motions  are  made  which  sub- 
sequent explanations  render  unnecessary.  If 
the  permission  to  withdraw  is  not  allowed, 
the  mover  is  mortified  by  finding  himself  the 
author  of  a  motion  which  will  certainly  be 
negatived. 

A  call  for  adjournment,  or  for  any  order 
in  business,  by  members  of  the  meeting  from 
their  seats,  is  not  a  motion,  but  a  breach  of 
order.  No  motion  can  be  made  without  rising 
and  addressing  the  chair. 

In  Congress,  no  motion  to  postpone  to  a 
day  certain,  to  commit,  or  to  postpone  in- 
11 


108  OF    MOTIONS. 

definitely,  being  decided  in  the  negative,  is 
again  allowable  on  the  same  day,  in  the  same 
stage  of  the  proposition  or  bill. 

When  motions  are  made  in  Congress  to 
refer  a  subject  to  a  standing  committee,  and 
to  a  select  committee,  the  question  on  refer- 
ence to  the  standing  committee  is  first  in 
order. 

Motions  and  resolutions  must  be  read  by 
the  Secretary,  as  often  as  the  reading  is  called 
for  by  any  member. 

A  motion  to  take  up  a  particular  item  of 
business,  if  negatived,  cannot  be  renewed  be- 
fore the  intervention  of  other  business. 

In  Legislative  bodies  all  business  has  its 
regular  order,  such  as  original  resolutions, 
bills  on  first,  second  and  third  reading,  &c. 
Frequently,  however,  bills  that  are  much 
desired  are  taken  up  and  disposed  of  before 
their  regular  order  is  reached.  This  can 
sometimes  be  done,  by  a  bare  majority  assent- 
ing, but  if  any  one  member  calls  for  the  "  or- 
ders of  the  day,"  the  process  is  stopped  un- 
less a  vote  of  two-thirds  can  be  obtained  in 
favor  of  a  motion  to  suspend  the  rule. 

When  the  call  for  the  reading  of  a  paper 


OF    MOTIONS.  109 

is  objected  to,  the  call  may  be  changed  to 
the  form  of  a  motion,  and  regularly  put  to  the 
meeting. 

From  the  Journal  of  the  U.  S.  House  of  Representa- 
tives, Jan.  llth,  1837. 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Mann,  of  New 
York,  that  the  House  do  proceed  to  the  orders 
of  the  day ;  when  Mr.  Bell  rose  to  a  question 
of  order,  which  he  stated  to  be,  that  a  motion 
to  proceed  to  the  orders  of  the  day,  having 
been  once  made  and  decided  in  the  negative, 
could  not  be  again  made  the  same  day,  and  at 
the  same  stage  of  proceeding. 

The  Speaker  decided  that  the  House  hav- 
ing on  motion  once  refused  to  proceed  to  the 
orders  of  the  day,  did  not,  after  further  de- 
bate, and  at  a  different  period  of  the  day, 
preclude  another  motion  from  being  made  to 
proceed  to  the  orders  of  the  day.  From 
this  decision  Mr.  Bell  took  an  appeal  to  the 
House,  which  he  subsequently  withdrew, 
and  the  decision  therefore  stood  as  the  judg- 
ment of  the  House. 

From  the   Journal  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  of 
Representatives,  April  llth,  1841. 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Johnston,  of 
Armstrong,  that  the  House  proceed  to  the 
consideration  of  the  amendments  made  by 


110  OF    QUESTIONS    OF    ORDER. 

the  Senate  to  the  bill  No.  48,  entitled  "  An  Act 
to  repeal  certain  acts  in  relation  to  the  Phila- 
delphia and  Trenton  Rail-Road  Company." 

Whereupon  the  Speaker  submitted  to  the 
House  for  decision  whether  the  motion  could 
be  entertained,  inasmuch  as  the  House  had 
previously,  on  the  same  day,  refused  to  con- 
sider said  amendments,  although  other  busi- 
ness had  intervened. 

And  on  the  question  "  Is  the  motion  in 
order?"  it  was  decided  in  the  affirmative, 
yeas  45,  nays  35. 

OF  QUESTIONS  OF  ORDER. 

On  questions  of  order  no  debate  is  allow- 
able, excepting  on  an  appeal  from  the  deci- 
sion of  the  President,  or  on  a  reference  of  a 
question  by  him  to  the  meeting,  when  no 
member  shall  speak  more  than  once,  unless 
by  consent  of  the  meeting.  All  decisions  on 
questions  of  order  should  be  noticed  in  the 
minutes. 

The  President  is  required  to  decide  all 
questions  of  order,  unless  he  prefers  to  submit 
the  matter  to  the  meeting.* 

*  Should  it  be  alleged,  after  a  question  has  been  put  to 
vote,  and  the  decision  announced,  that  the  question  was 
not  understood,  the  President  may  withdraw  the  decision, 
and  put  the  question  again. 


OF    A    QUORUM.  Ill 

In  Parliament,  it  is  a  breach  of  order  for 
the  Speaker  to  refuse  to  put  a  question  which 
is  in  order. 


OF  A  QUORUM. 

In  our  State  Legislature  and  in  Congress,  a 
majority  of  the  whole  number  of  members  is 
necessary  to  form  a  quorum,  but  a  smaller 
number  may  adjourn  from  day  to  day.  In 
the  British  House  of  Commons,  forty  mem- 
bers are  sufficient  to  do  business.  Societies 
should  always  state  in  their  by-laws,  the 
number  necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum. 

When,  from  counting  the  meeting,  on  a, 
division,  it  appears  that  there  is  not  a  quo- 
rum present,  there  is  no  decision,  but  the 
matter  in  question  continues  in  the  same 
state  in  which  it  was  before  the  division ;  and 
when  afterwards  resumed,  it  must  be  taken 
up  at  the  precise  point. 

When   the   President,   from   any   cause,* 

*  The  by-laws  of  Societies  usually  provide  that  no  mem- 
ber shall  leave  the  meeting  without  permission  of  the  Pre- 
sident, and  in  many  cases  fines  are  imposed  for  a  violation 
of  the  rule.  Provision  on  this  subject  is  necessary,  in  order 
to  prevent  a  meeting  from  being  left  without  a  quorum. 
11* 


112  OF    THE    YEAS    A1VD    NAYS. 

finds  there  is  not  a  quorum  present,  business 
must  be  immediately  suspended,  and  if  a 
quorum  is  not  speedily  obtained,  those  pre- 
sent may  adjourn. 


OF  THE  YEAS  AND  NAYS. 

In  announcing  that  the  yeas  and  nays  are 
ordered  to  be  taken,  the  President  should  say  ; 
"  The  yeas  and  nays  are  required  by  Mr. 

,  and  Mr.  .  The  Secretary  will 

call  the  names  of  the  members." 

When  the  roll  has  been  gone  through,  the 
Secretary  should  read  over  first  the  names 
of  those  who  have  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, and  then  the  names  of  those  who  have 
answered  in  the  negative,  in  order  that  if  he 
has  made  any  mistake,  it  may  be  corrected 
at  once,  and  before  the  result  is  declared  by 
the  President. 

Every  member  is  bound  to  vote,  unless 
excused,  or  unless  he  is  immediately  and 
particularly  interested  in  the  question  at 


OP  THE  YEAS  AND  NAYS.      113 

issue.  Any  member  wishing  to  be  excused 
from  voting,  may  make  a  brief  verbal  state- 
ment of  his  reasons,  and  the  question  must 
then  be  taken  without  further  debate.  This 
is  the  usage  in  Congress. 

After  the  yeas  and  nays  have  been  ordered 
to  be  called,  and  any  one  member  has  an- 
swered and  voted,  all  further  debate  is  ex- 
cluded. It  is  not  allowable  for  any  member 
to  change  his  vote,  after  the  yeas  and  nays 
have  been  called,  unless  he  avers  that  he 
voted  in  mistake.  No  member  can  be  per- 
mitted to  vote  after  the  decision  has  been 
announced  from  the  chair. 

If  any  question  arises  on  a  point  of  order, 
during  a  division,  or  while  the  yeas  and  nays 
are  being  called,  for  example,  as  to  the  right 
or  the  duty  of  a  member  to  vote,  the  presid- 
ing officer  must  decide  it  peremptorily.  In  a 
case  of  this  kind  there  can  be  no  debate. 

The  name  of  the  President  should  always 
be  called  "last.*  When  the  result  of  the  vote 
is  ascertained  by  the  Secretary,  the  Presi- 

*  In  our  State  Legislature  the  names  of  the  members  are 
called  in  alphabetical  order,  excepting  that  of  the  Speaker, 
which  is  placed  at  the  tail  of  the  list. 


114  OF  THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS. 

dent  will  say ;  "On  agreeing  to  the  motion 
the  yeas  are  so  many,  (naming  the  number) 
— the  nays  are  so  many — it  is  agreed  to,  or 
not  agreed  to,"  as  the  case  may  be. 

In  the  Legislative  bodies  of  most  of  the 
New  England  States,  the  votes  of  the  mem- 
bers are  given  by  the  members  holding  up 
their  right  hands — those  in  the  affirmative 
vote  first,  and  then  those  in  the  negative. 
This  is  also  the  usage  in  some  religious 
bodies. 

In  Parliament  every  member  is  required 
to  give  his  vote  one  way  or  the  other.  It  is 
not  permitted  to  any  one  to  withdraw,  who  is 
in  the  house  when  the  question  is  put,  nor 
is  any  one  to  be  counted  in  the  division  who 
was  not  in  when  the  question  was  put. 


OF  THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS. 
In  Societies  where  an  annual  or  semi- 
annual election  for  officers  is  held,  it  is  usual 
to  provide  in  the  by-laws  that  the  old  officers 
shall  retain  their  places,  until  the  new  ones 
are  regularly  chosen.  The  proper  course  of 
proceeding  is  for  the  President  to  announce, 


OF  THE  ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS.   115 

at  the  proper  time,  that  the  election  for  offi- 
cers is  the  next  business  in  order.  Some 
member  will  then  move  that  tellers  be  ap- 
pointed to  conduct  the  election.  When  the 
result  is  declared  by  the  tellers,  the  President 
should  repeat  the  statement,  and  request  the 
newly  elected  officers  to  take  their  appro- 
priate seats.  If  re-elected  himself,  he  should 
make  his  acknowledgements,  and  then  pro- 
ceed with  the  regular  business. 

In  Boards  of  Managers,  at  the  meeting  to 
organize,  it  is  usual  to  call  some  gentleman 
to  the  chair,  for  a  temporary  organization, 
whom  it  is  not  designed  to  elect  as  President. 

When  tellers  are  appointed  to  count  the 
votes,  in  an  election  by  ballot,*  they  should, 
while  counting  off,  read  the  votes  aloud,  so 
that  all  who  desire  may  hear  and  count  for 
themselves.  In  choosing  officers,  a  majority 
of  the  whole  number  of  votes  is  necessary 
to  effect  an  election. 

In  all  cases  where  other  than  members  of 
the  House  are  eligible  to  office,  it  is  usual  in 
the  S,tate  Legislature,  to  make  a  previous 
nomination. 

*  In  Congress,  blank  ballots  are  rejected,  and  not  taken 
into  the  count,  in  the  enumeration  of  votes 


116    ON  THE  ADOPTION  OF  RULES. 

ON  THE  ADOPTION  OF  RULES  OR 
BY-LAWS. 

In  our  State  Legislature,  rules  for  the 
government  of  each  body  are  adopted  at  the 
commencement  of  the  session.  On  the  day 
of  meeting  it  is  usual  to  adopt  the  old  rules, 
for  the  present,  and  then  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  prepare  rules,  which  committee  gene- 
rally reports  in  three  or  four  days. 

The  same  course  may  be  pursued,  with 
great  propriety,  in  Executive  Boards,  or  Boards 
of  Managers,  chosen  annually  by  the  mem- 
bers of  a  Society,  by  contributors  or  sub- 
scribers. Or,  if  the  old  by-laws  are  entirely 
satisfactory,  they  may  be  adopted  by  a  vote 
and  the  appointment  of  a  committee  dis- 
pensed  with.  When  the  by-laws  or  rules 
are  before  the  meeting  for  its  action,  a  ma- 
jority is  sufficient  to  make  an  alteration  or 
amendment,  but  when  they  have  been  form- 
ally adopted,  and  are  in  operation,  it  usually 
requires  a  vote  of  two-thirds  to  effect  a  change 
or  procure  a  suspension. 

The  joint  rules  of  our  State  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives  are  adopted  by  a 


ON  PUNISHING    DISORDERLY    MEMBERS.    Ill 

majority  vote,  but  they  cannot  be  altered  or 
suspended  without  a  vote  of  two-thirds. 

Societies  may  or  may  not  renew  their  by- 
laws at  each  annual  meeting.  The  general 
custom  in  regular  bodies,  is,  however,  to 
continue  them  in  force  without  a  formal 
vote. 

Provision  for  altering  or  amending  the 
constitution  and  by-laws,  and  for  the  tem- 
porary suspension  of  a  by-law,  should  be 
incorporated  in  the  rules  of  all  Societies, 
Boards  of  Managers,  &c. 


ON  PUNISHING  DISORDERLY  MEMBERS. 

The  rules  of  our  State  Legislature  make 
no  provision  for  punishing  disorderly  mem- 
bers, but  usage  has  fully  established  the 
right.  Disorderly  or  quarrelsome  conduct 
in  the  House,  contempt  of  the  authority  of 
ttie  House,  or  improper  conduct  in  debate, 
are  punishable  offences  in  the  Legislature, 
as  well  as  in  Congress  and  the  British  Par- 
liament. 

The  usual  punishments  are,  the  exaction 
of  an  apology,  a  public  reprimand,  or  expul- 


118      ON   PUNISHING   DISORDERLY   MEMBERS. 

sion.     In  the  latter  case  a  vote  of  two-thirds 
is  required. 

Societies  generally  make  provision  for  this 
matter  in  their  by-laws. 


From  the  Journal  of  the  Pennsylvania   House  of 
Representatives,  April  9,  1840. 

A  motion  was  made  by  Mr.  Wilcox  and 
Mr.  Park,  that  the  House  reconsider  the 
vote  on  the  7th  inst.,  on  adopting  a  resolu- 
tion to  expel  Thomas  B.  M  '  Elwee,  a  mem- 
ber from  Bedford  county,  from  his  seat  in 
the  House.  [Mr.  M'E.  had  been  expelled 
for  spitting  in  the  face  of  a  member,  on  the 
floor  of  the  House.] 

When  Mr.  Watts,  of  Erie,  objected  to  the 
reception  of  the  motion,  alleging  that  the 
subject  matter  was  no  longer  in  the  power 
of  the  House.  Whereupon  the  Speaker 
submitted  to  the  House  for  its  decision,  the 
question  whether  the  motion  to  reconsider 
the  said  vote  is  in  order,  and  stated  the  fol- 
lowing facts,  viz : 

"  On  the  7th  inst.,  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives adopted  a  resolution  by  the  con- 
stitutional majority,  [two-thirds]  to  expel  from 
his  seat  in  this  House,  Thomas  B.  M'Elwee, 
a  member  from  Bedford  county;  whereupon, 
the  Speaker  then  announced  that  Thomas 


BRITISH   LEGISLATION.  119 

B.  M'Elwee,  a  representative  from  Bedford 
county,  was  expelled  from  this  House,  and 
his  seat  declared  vacated." 

And  on  the  question,  "  Is  the  motion  to 
reconsider  in  order  ?"  it  was  decided  in  the 
affirmative,  yeas  46,  nays  36. 


PECULIARITIES  OF  PARLIAMENTARY 
LEGISLATION. 

In  Parliament,  the  bills  are  engrossed  on 
one  or  more  long  rolls  of  parchment,  sewed 
together.  When  a  bill  is  amended  on  third 
reading,  if  a  new  clause  is  added,  it  is  done 
by  tacking  a  separate  piece  of  parchment  on 
the  bill,  which  is  called  a  rider. 

In  the  House  of  Commons,  the  members 
vote  "  aye "  or  "  no."  In  the  House  of 
Peers,  they  answer  "  content,"  or  "  not  con- 
tent." 

The  king's  answer  to  the  bills  presented 
to  him  for  his  approbation,  is  announced  to 
the  House  by  the  clerk  in  Norman-French. 
If  the  king  consents  to  a  public  bill,  the  clerk 
says  Le  roy  le  veut — (the  king  wills  it  so 
12 


120  BRITISH    LEGISLATION. 

to  be  ;)  if  to  a  private  bill,  Soit  fait  comme 
il  est  desire',  (be  it  as  it  is  desired.)  If  the 
king  refuses  his  consent,  it  is  in  the  gentle 
language  of  Le  roy  s'avisera,  (the  king  will 
advise  upon  it.) 

The  title  Speaker,  is  given  to  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  House  of  Commons,  because 
he  alone  has  the  right  to  speak  to,  or  address 
the  king,  in  the  name  and  in  behalf  of  the 
House.  His  salary  and  perquisites  amount 
to  about  £8000  per  annum. 

When  the  House  of  Commons  divides,  in 
order  to  take  a  vote,  one  party  goes  out,  and 
the  other  remains  in  the  room.  This  has 
made  it  important  which  go  forth  first  and 
which  remain,  because  the  latter  secure  the 
votes  of  all  the  indolent,  the  indifferent,  and 
the  inattentive.  Their  general  rule,  therefore, 
is  that  those  who  give  their  vote  for  the  pre- 
servation of  the  orders  of  the  House,  stay  in. 
The  one  party  being  gone  forth,  the  Speaker 
names  two  tellers  from  the  affirmative,  and 
two  from  the  negative  side,  who  first  count 
those  sitting  in  the  House,  and  report  the 
number  to  the  Speaker.  They  then  place 
themselves  within  the  door,  two  on  each 


FRENCH    LEGISLATION.  121- 

side,  and  count  those  who  went  forth,  as 
they  come  in,  and  report  the  number  to  the 
Speaker. 


PECULIARITIES  OF  FRENCH  LEGISLA- 
TION. 

The  French  Chamber  of  Deputies  have  a 
full  system  of  rules,  embracing  ninety-four 
articles,  which,  in  their  leading  features,  are 
the  same  with  the  English  and  American. 
Some  of  the  peculiarities  are,  that  for  pre- 
liminary investigations,  the  whole  Chamber 
is  divided,  by  lot,  into  nine  committees,  of 
which  the  chairmen  in  every  case  form  a 
committee  of  nine  members,  (a  committee  of 
chairmen,)  which  appoints  one  of  its  num- 
ber to  make  report  to  the  Chamber. 

Private  petitions  are  either  wholly  reject- 
ed, or  delivered  to  the  ministers  for  consid- 
eration. 

Motions  must  be  put  in  writing,  read,  and 

a  day  fixed  for   discussion.     All  who  wish 

to  speak,  give  in  their  names  to  the  clerk, 

and  the  speakers  are   heard   in  turn.     The 

11 


122  FRENCH    LEGISLATION. 

members  do  not  speak  in  their  places,  but 
from  a  sort  of  pulpit  in  front  of  the  Presi- 
dent's desk,  but  below  it.  No  deputy  can 
speak  twice  on  the  same  subject.  Most  of 
the  speeches  are  read. 

The  Chamber  commonly  votes  by  the 
members  on  one  side  of  a  question  rising, 
and  the  others  remaining  seated,  and  the 
secretary  decides  on  which  side  is  the  ma- 
jority. But  on  the  passage  of  laws,  the 
main  vote  is  always  taken  by  balls,  in  which 
all  the  members  are  called  by  name ;  every 
one  receives  a  black  and  a  white  ball,  and 
votes  by  casting  one  of  them  in  an  urn.  The 
Chamber  of  Peers,  on  the  contrary,  votes  by 
written  yeas  and  nays. 

The  President  keeps  order  by  ringing  a 
bell,  and  when  the  members  get  too  disor- 
derly, he  puts  on  his  hat.  which  act  adjourns 
the  Chamber  for  the  time  being. 


INDEX. 


ADJOURNMENT,  sine  die,  motion  for,  not  debatable, 23 

motion  for,  to  a  day  certain,  may  be  amended,. .  .23,  73 

when  motion  for,  is  not  in  order, 45,  72 

not  effected,  until  announced  by  the  President,....    45 

simple  motion  for,  cannot  be  amended, 72 

when  mouon  for,  if  negatived,  may  be  renewed,..    72 

ADJOURNED  MEETINGS,  how  considered, 46 

duty  of  the  President  in  opening, 46 

AMENDMENTS,  rule  respecting, 78 

Parliamentary  rule  respecting, 78 

mode  of  stating  the  question  on, 78 

may  introduce  new  phraseology, 79 

may  be  received  as  modifications, 79 

extent  to  which  they  may  be  carried, 79 

in  Committee  of  1  he  Whole, 79 

after  final  passage  of  a  resolution 80 

may  be  spoken  to  by  those  who  have  spoken  on  the 

resolution, 80 

motion  for,  may  be  superseded, 80 

when  agreed  to,  cannot  be  altered, 81 

by  striking  out  and  inserting, 82 

if  rejected,  cannot  be  renewed, 84 

ANONYMOUS  call  for  a  Town  Meeting,  not  to  be  regard- 
ed,     11 

APPEALS,  may  be  made  by  two  members,. 103 

how  conducted, 103 

in  debating,  members  speak  but  once, 104 

must  be  reduced  to  writing 104 

form  of  putting  the  question  on, 104 

in  Congress,  may  be  laid  on  the  table, 104 

BALLOT,  voting  by, 115 

blank,  not  to  be  counted,  see  note, 115 

BLANKS,  in  a  resolution,  how  to  be  filled, 20 

rule  respecting, 21 

BUSINESS,  order  of,  in  a  Society 32 

may  be  suspended  by  temporary  adjournment,....     73 
motions  to  take  up  items  of,  not  debatable, 92 

12* 


124  INDEX. 

BY-LAWS.     See  Rules,  Order  of  Business. 

CHAIRMAN  of  a  meeting,  how  chosen, 12 

duty  of,  in  opening  a  meeting, 14 


IN    TOWN    OR    WARD    MEETINGS. 

COMMITTEES,  to  prepare  resolutions,  how  appointed,.  .14,  15 

first  named  to  be  chairman  of,  16 

how  to  be  excused  from  serving  on, 16 

report  from,  how  made, 17 


IN    SOCIETIES    AND   OTHER    BODIES. 

COMMITTEES,  reports  from  Standing,  how  made, 35 

reports  from,  should  terminate  with  a  resolution,.. .  36 

action  on  reports  from, 37 

reports  from,  may  be  recommitted  or  withdrawn,.  •  37 

wheiher  a  report  from,  can  be  amended, 37 

minority  reports  from, 38 

reports  from  Special,  how  made, 39 

Special,  how  discharged, 39 

reports  from,  not  to  be  recorded,  except  on  motion,.  40 

gentleman  first  named  on,  usually  chairman  of,-  •  •  •  58 

chairman  of,  may  be  elected, 59 

in  U.  S.  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  how 

chosen, 58 

•when  a  member  is  excused  from  serving  on,  59 

objects  and  duties  of. 60 

to  be  appointed  by  the  President, 60 

who  may  be  appointed  on, 60 

may  be  discharged  from  certain  duties,  see  note,  . .  60 

any  member  may  be  present  at  sittings  of, 61 

Standing  and  Special,  character  of, 61 

reports  of,  are  of  two  kinds, • 62 

what  the  reporis  may  contain, 62 

recommitted  reports  from,  how  treated, 62 

communications  referred  to,  usually  delivered  to 

chairman  of, 63 

if  instructed,  must  report  accordingly, 63 

COMMIT,    peration  of  the  motion  to, 71 

character  of  the  motion  to, 77 

motion  to,  may  be  amended, 77 

COMMITTEE  OF  THK  WHOLE,  advantages  of, 65 

mode  of  proceeding  in, 65 

who  is  clerk  of.  see  note,  65 

rules  for  governing  a, 66 

quorum  in  a 66 

how  often  members  may  speak  in, 66 


INDEX.  125 

COMMITTED  OF  THE  WHOLE,  reports  from,  how  made,. . .  67 

may  have  leave  lo  sit  again, 67 

amendments  made  in,  may  be  stricken  out, 63 

President  may  take  part  in  debate  in, 68 

going  into  a,  for  special  amendment, 78 

COUNTY  CONVENTIONS,  how  organised  and  conducted,. .    26 
disputed  delegates  in,  rules  respecting, 26,  27 

DEBATE,  when  may  the  President  participate  in,  see  nofe,  87 

members  not  to  transgress  rules  of, 87 

members  in,  not  to  be  interrupted, 88 

Legislative  rule  respecting, 89 

exceptionable  words  spoken  in,  to  be  taken  down,.  90 

no  motion  open  for,  until  stated  from  the  chair 90 

disorderly  behavior  in,  may  be  punished, 91 

sick  members  may  participate  in,  while  sitting,. ...  92 
See  Members. 

DISORDERLY  conduct  not  allowable, 91 

members,  how  punished, 117 

DIVIDING  ON  A  VOTE,  mode  of  proceeding, 18,  19,  35 

may  be  required  by  one  member, 35 

if  a  quorum  be  not  present  on, Ill 

DIVISION  OF  A  QUESTION,  illustration  of, 85 

Legislative  and  parliamentary  rule  respecting  the,.     93 
should  be  ordered  by  the  Society, 95 

ELECTION  OF  OFFICERS,  how  conducted 114 

when  previous  nominations  should  be  made  for,. ..  115 

EXPLANATIONS,  when  allowed  to  be  made, 87 

New  York  rule  respecting,  see  note, 88 

EXPULSION  OF  A  MEMBER, 117 

EXPUNGE,  motion  to,  requires  a  unanimous  vote, 102 

FINE,  for  leaving  a  meeting  without  permission,  see  note,  111 

FLOOR,  how  to  obtain,  for  presenting  communications,.     32 

to  be  obtained  on  permission,  in  certain  cases, 90 

usually  first  given  to  the  mover  of  a  motion, 106 

FRF.NCH  LEGISLATION,  peculiarities  of, 121 

GRACE,  or  delay,  not  allowable  in  a  Society, 28 

what  should  be  the  rule  respecting,  see  note, 29 


126  INDEX. 

LETTERS  AND  COMMUNICATIONS,  how  presented, 32 

LIE  ON  THE  TABLE,  character  of  the  motion  to, 76 

motion  to,  cannot  be  debated  or  amended, 76 

motion  to,  in  Congress,  has  precedence, 76 

MAIN  QUESTION,  when  to  be  put, 97 

what  it  will  be,  see  notes, 97,  101 

MEETINGS,  Town  and  Ward,  not  to  be  called  anony- 
mously,   11 

how  call  for,  should  be  worded, 11 

mode  of  opening  and  conducting, 12 

call  of,  to  be  read  by  chairman, 14 

political,  calling  for  speakers 20 

usual   for  chairman  to  announce  the  speakers,  see 

note, 20 

MEMBER,  in  debate,  must  speak  to  the  question, 87 

in  debate,  if  called  to  order,  must  cease  speaking,.  87 

if  decided  to  be  out  of  order,  loses  the  floor, 88 

in  debate,  can  speak  but  twice,  without  permission,  89 

in  debate,  not  to  be  interrupted, 88 

rising  to  explain,  must  confine  himself  to  the  ex- 
planation,    88 

may  be  referred  to  by  name,  by  the  Speaker,  in  Le- 
gislative bodies, 89 

how  one  may  refer  to  another, 89 

in  debate,  not  to  indulge  in  personalities, 89 

wishing  to  make  a  statement,  must  ask  permission,  90 
not  to  be  present  when   matters  concerning  him- 
self are  discussed. 90 

in  Parliament,  cannot  read  a  paper  without  per- 
mission,   91 

MINORITIKS,  reports  from  committees,  how  presented,..     38 

how  their  rights  are  best  protected, 39,  105 

opinions  of,  may  be  recorded  on  the  minutes, 106 

MINUTES,  to  be  read  by  the  Secretary, 30 

not  necessary  to  take  the  question  on, 30 

if  incorrect,  may  be  corrected  on  motion, 30 

sometimes  read  at  the  close  of  a  meeting,  see  note..  31 
sometimes  read  at  adjourned  and  special  meetings, 

see  note, 46 

MOTION,  to  strike  out  and  insert, indivisible, 93 

mover  of  a,  first  entitled  to  the  floor, 10(i 

in    our    Legislature,   may    be    withdrawn    before 

amendment, 107 

cannot  be  withdrawn  in  Parliament, 107 

members  must  rise  in  order  to  make  a, 107 

not  renewable  under  certain  circumstances, 107 

to  be  read  by  the  Secretary,  whenever  desired,..  •  108 


INDEX.  127 

MOTIVES  OF  MEMBERS,  not  to  be  questioned, 89 

NEW  BUSINESS,  when  in  order, 43 

what  it  embraces, 43 

OFFICERS  OF  A  TOWN  OR  WARD  MEETING,  who  has  the 

right  to  nominate, 13 

ORDER  OF  BUSINESS,  how  it  may  be  changed 44 

ORDERS  OF  THE  DAY,  character  of  the, 108 

may  be  called  for  by  one  member, 108 

PARLIAMENTARY  LEGISLATION,  peculiarities  of, 119 

PERSONALITIES,  not  allowable  in  debate, 89 

POSTPONEMENT,  for  the  present,  motion  for,  may  be 

amended 98 

indefinite,  motion  for,  cannot  be  amended  or  super- 
seded,   98 

indefinite,  effect  of,  on  the  subject, 99 

PREAMBLE,  when  to  be  considered, 21 

when  not  acted  upon, 21 

PRECEDENTS  OF  ORDER. — Part  of  the  report  of  a  com- 
mittee decided  to  be  out  of  order, 63 

two  motions  to  adjourn  correctly  entertained, 73 

two  moiions  to  adjourn  incorrectly  entertained 74 

motion  to  amend  what  had  been  previously  inserted 

as  an  amendment,  not  in  order, 81 

effect  of  a  vote  agreeing  to  an  amendment  to  the 
amendment,  and  then  disagreeing  to  the  amend- 
ment.    83 

matters  foreign  to  the  subject,  cannot  be  received 

under  color  of  amendment 8? 

matters  cannot  be  expunged  from  the  journal;  wili- 

out  a  unanimous  vote, 102 

two  motions  to  proceed  to  the  orders  of  the  day,. . .   109 
two   motions   to   proceed   to   the  consideration  of 

Senate  amendments, lOlx 

decision  on  a  motion  :o  reconsider,  in  the  case  of  a 

m-mber  expelled, 118 

Ste  Questions  of  Order. 

PRESIDENT,  may  second  motions  himself,  see  note, 34 

when  he  may  p  esent  communications, 35 


128  INDEX. 

PRESIDENT,  general  duties  of  the, 47 

votes,  when  the  members  are  equally  divided, 51 

when  he  has  a  right  to  speak 68,  87 

allowed  to  give  his  reasons  on  appeals, 104 

should  vote  last, 113 

k*BEVious  QUESTION,  when  introduced,  and  design  of,. ..  95 

must  be  seconded  by  a  certain  number,  see  note,.. .  96 

effect  of,  when  called, 96 

mode  of  putting  the, 96 

effect  of  a  negative, 97 

not  debatable, 97 

how  it  may  be  withdrawn, 98 

PRIVILEGED  QUESTIONS,  what  are  so  called, 69 

operation  of, 70 

when  complicated,  how  disposed  of,  see  note, •    71 

PKOTEST,  how  to  be  presented, 106 

QUESTION,  mode  of  putting  the, 18,  34 

call  for  the,  not  to  be  forced, 21 

while  the  President  is  putting,  members  should  re- 
main in  their  seats, 87 

may  be  put  a  second  time,  see  note, 110 

QUESTIONS  MOT  DEBATABLE,  rules  respecting, 92 

QUESTIONS  OF  ORDER,  when  not  debatable, 93,  110 

decisions  on,  to  be  recorded  in  the  minutes, 110 

to  be  decided  by  the  President     110 

to  be  decided  in  certain  cases,  peremptorily, 113 

QUCBUM,  majority  of  the  members,  necessary  to  form  a, 

see  note, 29 

rules  respecting  a, Ill 

if  found  to  be  not  present  during  a  meeting, Ill 

RECONSIDER,  Congressional  and  Legislative  rule  respect- 
ing the  motion  to, 99 

rule  for  the  motion  to,  in  Societies, 99 

by  whom  the  motion  to,  must  be  made  and   se- 
conded,    100 

motion  to,  not  Parliamentary, 101 

RELIGIOUS  PUBLIC  MEETINGS,  how  organised  and  con- 
ducted,       24 

REPORTS  OF  COMMITTEES,  See  Committees. 

RESCIND,  motion  to, 102 

corresponding  motion  in  the  Legislature, 102 


INDEX.  129 

RESOLUTIONS,  committee  to  draft,  how  appointed, 14 

how  reported  to  a  Town  Meeting, 17 

may  be  considered  separately 18 

may  be  offered  by  an  individual, 19 

should  be  offered  early  in  the  meeting, 20 

may  be  recommitted, 22 

may  be  withdrawn,  before  amendment, 22 

mode  of  offering  in  a  Society, 43 

initiatory  word  of,  see  note, 43 

in  what,  different  from  motions, 44 

must  be  put  in  writing,  if  required, 44 

fate  of,  if  a  meeting  adjourns,  while  considering,. ..  73 


ROLL  OF  THE  MEMBERS,  calling  off,. 


RULES,  OR  BY-LAWS,  proper  time  to  adopt, 1 16 

how  they  may  be  suspended, 44,  116 

when  to  be  renewed, 117 

provision  for  altering, 117 

RULES  OF  ORDER,  whence  derived, 7 

necessary  for  all  deliberative  bodies, 9 

SECRETARY,  of  a  public  meeting,  how  appointed, 13 

absence  of,  from  a  Society,  see  note, 30 

first  named,  the  acting  officer,  see  note, 31 

general  duties  of  the, 51 

SOCIETY,  mode  of  conducting  business  in, 28 

presenting  petitions,  letters  or  communications  in,.     32 

SPEAKING,  not  usually  permitted  excepting  on  a  motion,    22 

allowable  in  certain  cases, 28 

in  Committee  of  the  Whole, 66 

SPECIAL  MEETINGS,  what  business  is  first  in  order  in,. .    46 
object  of,  to  be  stated  on  the  call, 47 

SPEECH,  reading  of,  by  a  member, 91 

TELLERS,  to  conduct  an  election  for  officers, 115 

to  read  off  the  ballots, 115 

TREASURER,  report  from,  how  received  and  disposed  of,    40 

frequent  reports  from,  desirable, 41 

general  duties  of  the, 59 


130  INDEX. 

UNFINISHED  BUSINESS,  when  in  order, 41 

•what  it  embraces, 41 

Secretary,  to  keep  a  list  of, 42 

different  items  of,  how  reached, 42 

VICE  PRESIDENT,  of  a  public  meeting,  how  appointed,. .    1-3 
authority  of  a,  in  a  Society,  see  note, 28 

VOTE,  every  member  bound  to,  unless  excused, 112 

of  a  member  not  to  be  changed,  unless  given  in 

mistake, 113 

no  member  can,  after  the  division  has  been  an- 
nounced from  the  chair, 113 

how  taken  in  the  Eastern  states, 114 

Parliamentary  rule  respecting, 114 

YEAS  AND  NAYS,  mode  of  taking  the 112 

no  debate  allowed  after  they  are  ordered, Hi 

when  called,  the  President  to  vote  last, 113 


<c» 

g 

d 

00 

oa* 

2 

H 

rtj 

3 

n 

w 

CD 

F?    Q- 

?3 

3k-.    > 

Cfi 

'' 

H 

d    ® 

K 

W    P- 
0      |, 

S  § 

1 

N) 

i*  g5 

^     fe 

10 

r! 

^  e- 

P-       M» 

p     Q- 

P 

^§ 

1C 

5 

5 

-   8*       5 

f»     fi  ,>• 


a  a 
? ' 

o 


B 

S 


00970 


